Northman's Nanny
by VictoryInTrouble
Summary: He- gorgeous, successful, lonely single father. She- smart, friendly, awkward college senior. When they meet, there's an instant attraction but their working relationship should prevent anything from happening. However, good intentions are sometimes not good enough. M for strong language and sexual content. AU/AH Recent genre change b/c of Eric's painful past, but still funny too.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks for stopping by to read my new fic. For anyone reading We Wear the Mask, I will not be abandoning that story at all. I just can't get this story out of my head so I decided to start posting it too. You can expect at least weekly updates on both.**

**This fic is very different than Mask. The style is different and it's an all human story. It's a slow burn, I like sexual tension, but hopefully you will still enjoy it. This Eric Northman is a handsome, slightly bruised, single father and Sookie is a smart, friendly college student who goes to work for him. Please enjoy and please let me know what you think in a review.**

**Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Charlaine Harris, but I am dressing them up and taking them for a spin.**

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ERIC

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" I yell into the phone. "What the hell am I supposed to do? Yes, fine. You have one hour."

Dammit! I mutter and pace the living room. This just isn't my day. Thank God she is still asleep upstairs, I think as I look at her tiny head in the monitor. Another fucking nanny quit. Just my luck when I have a huge meeting this morning. The replacement from the agency better get here in time. I cannot be late this morning. As it is, I will have to miss my coffee and newspaper morning routine at my desk.

Of course right then, Annika wakes up. Shit! Luckily she is in a good mood in the morning but she won't be content in her crib for long. She'll need a change and a bottle soon and here I am in my best suit, waiting on another fucking nanny.

Anni is my 9 month old daughter. Her mother skipped out on us when she was born and I've been her sole caretaker ever since. Well, there are the nannies. Lots of nannies. Apparently, if you yell at them once or twice or work late a few times, they just up and quit on you. That's what happened to us this morning. I know things have been hectic because I am getting ready for this big meeting but she could have stayed until said meeting was actually over.

What was her name? Mindy? I think. Or maybe Marcia. Hell, what does it matter? She is gone. The agency is sending over someone else. Someone who has... 33 minutes to show up on my doorstep or get fired before she even starts!

When Annika starts crying, I know my time is up. Shit. I go to the kitchen to make a bottle and then up to Anni's room to pick her up. She is all smiles when she wakes up. She sure doesn't get that from me. My mood lightens a little as I gaze into Annika's blue eyes. She gets the blue eyes from me. The dark crop of curly hair on her head is from her mother. That is pretty much the extent of her involvement in our lives. Basically an egg donor. She decided when she found out she was pregnant that she wasn't cut out to be a mother. She didn't want an abortion and neither did I so that left me. She is the only thing I love in my life. The only bright spot. Her smile lights up her face and in turn, mine.

I know I need to pick her up but I don't want to ruin my suit so I do the only thing I can think of. I take off my jacket and lay it over the rocking chair in Anni's room and then do the same with my tie and shirt. I say a silent prayer to the wrinkle fairies so my shirt will stay crisp and then I drape a small blanket over my shoulder and pick up my princess.

"Hi baby girl!" I coo at her. She grabs my mouth and babbles to me. "We have a new nanny coming today. You'll have to tell me what you think of her after work," I smile.

As I walk downstairs my doorbell rings. About fucking time! The new nanny is here.

I open the door and the girl just stands there. What the hell? Is she stupid? Goddamn agency better not have sent a stupid girl to watch my baby.

"Yes?" I say sharply to the apparently mute blonde girl on my doorstep.

"Oh! Yes! Hi! My name is Sookie Stackhouse. I'm here from Care Solutions." She sticks out her hand. Huh, strange name.

I shift Annika in my arms to shake Blondie's hand and that's when I realize I am still bare chested. Shit. So very much not my day.

"Eric Northman. I, uh, didn't want to ruin my suit. The nanny is usually here before she wakes up so I was already dressed. Here." I push Annika into Sookie's arms and tell her to follow me as I walk upstairs.

"I have a huge meeting this morning so I don't have much time. You'll have to show yourself around. Here's Annika's room, she just woke up and needs a change. Her bottle is on the kitchen counter. There's a notebook about her day that the nannies keep so you'll have to look through that to find out her usual routine. She's a happy baby so you should be fine there. My office down the hall and my bedroom are off limits. Oh, and I have nannycams all over." I am finished putting my shirt and jacket on by the time I am done talking. So far this girl has not said a single thing. She is nodding along so I hope she's keeping up.

I rush back down the stairs with the nanny at my heels, give a quick kiss to Anni's soft curls and then am out the door.

As I drive from my Beacon Hill condo to downtown Boston, where I work, I have a momentary freak out thinking about the stranger in my house with my most precious possession. It's okay, I tell myself. There's a reason why I use the top nanny agency in the city. All the girls are thoroughly checked out and trained. Pull it together, Northman. Besides, I can always watch her on the cameras whenever I want.

Only I have no time to pull up the camera feed when I get to my desk. My secretary, Pam, follows me into my office and immediately launches into me. I say secretary, but Pam is much more than that really. She basically knows everything I know in regards to my position in the firm. If I die tomorrow, I have no doubt she could take up for me without hesitating. Yes, she is more like my second in command. And she always has my back. What's more, she is just about my only friend. Sure, I have plenty of casual friends that I hang out with, or used to hang out with before Annika, but Pam is the only person in my life that I know I can trust completely. Does that make me pathetic? Maybe, but the two girls in my life are all I need. Most of the time, anyway.

"Eric, where the fuck have you been?"

"It's nice to see you too, Pam," I chuckle. "Another nanny quit and the replacement took a while to get there," I tell her more seriously.

"Jesus, Eric! What's that? Like four nannies that have quit on you in nine months?"

"Three," I say rather indignantly.

"Oh, that's so much better. What are you doing to them that makes them want to run away?"

"Nothing! I can't help it if I have high standards! My Anni deserves the best!"

"Well, I can't argue with you there. Just try to keep this next one around, huh? You need to be on your best game for the next few months. Speaking of, the meeting is in five minutes. You ready?"

"I was born ready. Let's go."

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SOOKIE

The door is opened by a god. I don't know what else to call him. He is gorgeous, beautiful really. At eye level is his naked torso complete with chiseled abs and deliciously enticing V cut at his hips. My eyes sweep over his body and I like what I see. As I look at this towering half naked blonde god before me, I am never so sorry for my simple attire. I wore jeans, my chucks, and an old Weezer baseball style T. At least my chucks match my shirt? Both maroon. Honestly, for a second I don't even notice the baby in his arms. The baby I am there to care for. Shoot! How long have I been staring? Apparently long enough for this man to be pissed off by my lack of manners. Double shoot!

I introduce myself quickly and he immediately hands me said baby. He is in a huge rush as he races up the stairs to finish dressing. He tells me a whole list of stuff, walks back downstairs, kisses his baby, whose name I now know is Annika, and then leaves. Wow! I am slightly overwhelmed. The agency had warned me that Mr. Northman has a reputation for being difficult to work for but there wasn't much time to get any details. I'd had to shower and throw on my clothes in ten minutes to get here on time.

Okay, so... the baby. He said her bottle was in the kitchen. That's easy enough. I can see it from where I'm standing so I walk in there to get it and then go back to the living room to sit in the comfortable looking brown leather chair. As I tip the baby back for her bottle, I have a chance to get a good look at her.

"You are a beauty, little one," I croon. Just like your daddy. She smiles around her bottle and keeps on drinking. I know I need to find the nanny notebook or I'll have no idea about the rest of her schedule. I can see it's not on the living room table. Hopefully it's in the kitchen or the baby's room. I really don't want to go on a hunt for it. As I sit feeding Annika, I start to sing the song my Gran had sung to me when I was a child.

_Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,  
Go to sleepy little baby  
When you wake, you shall have  
All the pretty little horses_

I get to the second verse before I remember what Mr. Northman said about the cameras. Oh crap. I hope he doesn't have sound or that he would fast forward if he watches it later. I can't carry a tune in a bucket with a lid on it. I love to sing but that doesn't mean I am any good at it. Well, at least the baby didn't seem to mind. She is just smiling up at me. Thank God for an easy baby!

As soon as she is done with the bottle, I set about finding the nanny notebook. Nope, not in the kitchen. I go upstairs to her room to look for it. I spot it on her bookshelf along with some photos. I really have no idea what happened to Annika's mom, only that Mr. Northman is a single dad and mom is out of the picture. And she is... out of the picture. Not one photo depicts the baby with her mom. They are all of her and her dad. Or just her dad- hello! What is this? I pick up the picture. A younger Mr. Northman with long hair? Holy hotness! I have a thing for long hair and does this Viking god ever fill that slot! Too bad he cut it. Well, I guess not because he is my boss and I can't really be drooling over my boss... anymore than I have.

I place the photo back on the shelf with a sigh and pick up the notebook. Why can't I find a gorgeous man like this at school? Certainly no one I had met on campus looks like that. Shaking off my objectification, I flip through the notebook. Hmm, looks like multiple writing styles. I wonder how many nannies this guy has gone through? At least my job here will be temporary so hopefully I can last at least until school starts back up. I can last a month, right?

According to the notebook, I need to feed Annika some breakfast so down to the kitchen we go. I go about opening cabinets to find the baby food. Cans, cans, cans- um, someone fits the bachelor stereotype well! I open the last cabinet hoping to find what I need. Holy baby food, Batman! Top to bottom, this cabinet is filled with every flavor of baby food made by Earth's Best. Organic, huh? It fits. I grab some type of oatmeal and a small jar of peaches.

After I feed the baby, we have about an hour until she naps so I decide to take a stroll with her. It is warm for January and the snow has melted so I'll have no trouble pushing the stroller. There is even a little playground up the street that we can visit. After dressing Annika, I find her snowsuit and hat. We suit up, grab the stroller and head out. The stroller is one of those Bugga-somethings that are really expensive. I can tell that Mr. Northman would spare no expense when it comes to his daughter.

I stroll along thinking about how, even after almost four years up north, I am still not used to this weather. The cold, the snow. Ugh. Yes, snow is pretty while it's falling and immediately after but then it gets dirty and slushy and disgusting. I wish I was back in Louisiana. Just last week I was there in much warmer weather visiting Gran and my brother. I'd even gone sunbathing, though they said I was crazy. But it was at least 40 degrees warmer than Boston.

I decide to call my suite mate Amelia to let her know I'll be gone all day. She was asleep when I left this morning.

"Hey girl," I say when she picks up.

"Hey Sook! Where are you?"

"I'm working. I got called to nanny this morning for the whole month. I guess this guy is having a hard time keeping a nanny." I had signed up at the agency to do occasional babysitting but they know I have a month off and were desperate this morning. I didn't really want to work full time for this month but the money will be excellent to have.

"Uh-oh. Guy? You're working for a guy? Is he hot?"

Leave it to Amelia to always be thinking about sex. "Amelia! Actually he is! Like, freakin hot! And built."

"Built? How do you know he's built? Should I be proud of you Sookie? Did you bang your boss?"

"What? Amelia! Of course not. But he sorta answered his door with no shirt on."

"Ohmigod! Why? Was he wrapped in a towel?"

That image fills my brain and I think I take a while to answer. "No, he had pants on. He took his shirt off so his baby didn't ruin his work clothes. But dang, Amelia! His stomach. You know my favorite part of a man?"

"His dick?"

"No! Not that! You know that part of their stomach that turns into their hip and it makes that V shape? That, on him, is gorgeous. All kinds of unclean thoughts went through my head and I stood there like an idiot when I saw him. It's a wonder he left his kid with me!"

"Go Sookie!"

"Yeah, right. Hey, listen Ames. I gotta go and I don't know when I'll be home so just eat dinner without me, ok?"

"Ok, Sook. See ya. Maybe after you put the baby to bed you two could-"

"Bye, Amelia!" I end the call shaking my head. That girl.

After strolling around the neighborhood for a while, we come back home because it's time for Annika's nap. I undress and change her and lay her down. I'm not sure how she goes to sleep so when she starts fussing I pick her back up and start to dance with her to get her drowsy. It always works a charm on every other baby I've ever watched. I sway around her room, moving rhythmically so that the gentle motions will rock her to sleep. It works quickly and I lay her down whispering, "Sweet dreams, little one."

I close her door and creep downstairs to eat something before she wakes up from her nap. Opening the fridge, I notice a bunch of take out containers but not much else. Hmm, okay. Canned food it is. I open the cabinet that holds the cans of soup and take one down. Does he eat this stuff all the time? Goodness! He needs a woman in his life. Or some cooking lessons.

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ERIC

The meeting ends just before 11 and I walk quickly back to my office. I was distracted through the whole meeting thinking about the new girl in my house with my baby. I need to see what is going on so I pull up the security feed on my computer. I'd had a state of the art camera system put into my house for just this reason. It cost a shitload of money but what's the use of money if you can't protect what's yours?

I flip through the camera feeds trying to find the one that will show me the nanny and my daughter. Shit. I flip through again, thinking maybe I missed them as they walked from one room to the next. Nothing. What the fuck? Where the hell are they? I am sitting there, agitated, when Pam walks in.

"Northman, what do you want for lunch? What? Why are you pissed?" she says, noticing my state.

"I can't find the damn nanny on the cameras. What the fuck, Pam!"

"Eric, calm down. Did you call her?"

"I don't have her fucking number," I growl, slowly losing control.

"Okay, call your house. Would she answer your phone?"

"How the fuck should I know? I don't fucking know this girl!" I am ready to completely lose it.

"You have to calm down Eric. Your going to have an aneurism. Call your house. If she doesn't answer, call the agency. They have to have her number, right?"

I take a deep breath. Pam is right. I forgot about the agency. I call my house but get no answer. Just as I am about to find the agency's number, the nanny and my girl come walking in from outside.

"Shit," I sigh, letting my shoulders relax as I slump back into my chair.

"See, it's fine. No need to go on a killing rampage. I swear to god, Eric. You need to get laid. You are way too tightly wound."

I glare at her. I'd heard this many times before. It has been a while. Quite a while. The last time I had sex was with some nameless woman the night Annika's mother told me she wanted nothing to do with me and our unborn daughter. I'd drowned my sorrows in single malt scotch and pussy. And the fucking scotch was better.

"Okay okay," she says, "Lunch. What do you want?"

"The usual from Roxy's," I smile. Pam hates going all the way there but goddamn if they don't have the best grilled cheese and truffle fries. I eat there a lot.

"Fine. You are so boring," she ribs with an eye roll.

I smile, but it doesn't reach my eyes. Unfortunately, she is right.

I have become a boring old man. Eating take out and canned soup, I am in bed every night by ten. I don't sleep well so I go to bed early to try to get enough. Without fail, I wake tired the next day only to go through the same motions. Day after day, over and over, I do the same things in the same ways. The only thing that changes is my princess. She is growing up so fast.

Pam leaves to get lunch and I shift my focus to my computer screen and watch as the nanny picks up Annika and begins to sway around the room with her. Her hips are moving rhythmically, reminding me of a belly dancer or something. Shit. Did my dick just twitch? Goddamn! She's the fucking nanny. My dick can't twitch to the fucking nanny! But damn, I keep watching her. Her back is to the camera and her ass and hips look so fucking nice moving like that. By the time she puts my baby down, I am completely hard and have to shift in my seat to get more comfortable. Well, that wasn't boring.

The rest of the day is a blur of meetings and paperwork and conference calls. By the time I leave the office it's six o'clock and I can't wait to see my little girl. I also need to have a real conversation with the nanny since I didn't get a chance to this morning. I _also_ need her to tell me her name again because I've forgotten it. I feel a little bad about that but I was in a big hurry when she told it to me and I just remember thinking it was a strange name.

As I walk into the house, I am met by silence. What the fuck? Every good thought I had been thinking about the nanny is suddenly replaced by the panic and anger I felt when I had no idea where my daughter was earlier. Ok, so I have a temper. I know that and as much as I don't like to let it control me, sometimes it does. I stomp through the house in search of my baby, getting angrier and angrier with each empty room I come across. By the time I find them coming out of the bathroom, a fluffy yellow towel wrapped around my princess, and the nanny with a very wet shirt, I am pissed. And I am even more irrationally upset because I always bathe Anni. It's my chance to reconnect with her after a long day apart and I love the splashes and giggles of bath time. Shit. I try to calm down. I really do. But my day was shitty and she bathed my baby and I just lose it.

Seeing me in the hallway, the nanny smiles and says hi. Her smile falters when she sees my face. I follow her into Annika's room about to lay into her. She puts the baby in her crib to play and wordlessly grabs my hand, leading me from the room and closing the door.

.Fuck? Did she just grab my hand and pull me like I'm a child? And why the fuck did I follow her?

"What are you doing?" I ask gruffly. Her hand is still on mine and I swear I feel tingly where she's touching me. Again, what the fuck?

"I can tell you're upset. I didn't want you to yell at me in front of the baby. What happened? What did I do?"

She lets go of my hand and I feel a loss. "Oh. Yes. I always give her a bath. You don't need to," I say through gritted teeth. I'm trying to calm down. Really.

She frowns slightly and I can't help watching her lips. She has beautiful full red lips. Shit. Don't look at the nanny's lips, jackass. I bring my eyes up to hers and see her watching me.

"That's why you're so mad?"

"I'm not so mad," I say. I am so mad.

"You are. What else?"

"I couldn't find you today on the cameras. This morning. And then when I couldn't find you again when I came home, I freaked. And then you came out of the bathroom with her even though I always bathe her. I like to, you know? I miss her." Holy fuck, Northman! Shut up! I have no idea why I said all that.

Her face softens. Holy shit. I didn't notice before but she is beautiful. I think my dick twitches again.

"We went for a walk," she says.

I'm not listening. I have just noticed that her shirt is very very wet indeed. It's sticking to her, in fact. Sticking to her gorgeous round breasts in a way that I can just make out nipple. Oh god. Not good! This is not good! Do not get a hard-on in front of the nanny. That's like employer 101 right? Do not fuck the staff? Not that I want to fuck her. Oh, who am I kidding? I want to nail her against the wall until she screams my name.

I am pulled from my rather horrifying thoughts by the sound of my baby crying in her room. Oh yes. My baby. Shit.

"Shit," I mutter opening her door.

"Mr. Northman?" She's standing in the hallway looking all kinds of delectable and nervous.

"It's fine. Let me dress her. You can go downstairs and wait."

She nods and leaves while I get some pajamas and a diaper to dress my girl for bed.

"Anni," I say softly to my princess while I dress her. "I love you baby. Did you have a good day? My day was sh- bad. But it's looking better right now." I smile to see her smiling up at me. I love this baby so fucking much!

I take a deep breath to clear my head and start down the stairs with my Annika.

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**A/N: I hope you liked this first chapter. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review. I love the feedback. It's really motivating. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I was going to wait a week to post a new chapter but I love to write this story so I figured I would give you a chapter early. I'm so happy for the good response this story has received. I appreciate every favorite and follow and especially every review. I try to respond to all the reviews but I can't for the guest reviewers. I really appreciate your time even if I can't tell you!**

**This chapter starts with Sookie's pov the same night as chapter 1. She has just gone downstairs after Eric told her he'd dress the baby for bed.**

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SOOKIE

He comes downstairs talking softly to his baby girl. His face is soft and he has an easy smile. He looks gorgeous.

I stand up and walk over to them.

"I'm sorry again. I didn't mean to freak you out. It was nice out today and I wanted to walk around the neighborhood."

He was really really angry when I saw him earlier. Like scary angry and I knew he had a bad reputation for yelling at his former nannies. I couldn't imagine what upset him so much but I didn't want him to unleash it in front of the baby.

When I touched him, it was like a warmth spread through my body starting at the site of our joined hands. I'd never felt something like that before and I kept touching him for longer than I needed to. His explanation for his mood was so sweet, I was taken aback. I felt bad for scaring him with my absence and even worse for robbing him of special time with his daughter.

"It's ok. Please, call me Eric," he looks uncomfortable. "And what can I call you?"

I think he forgot my name. He was in a big rush this morning so I can't really blame him. But that doesn't mean I can't tease him.

"Just my first name is fine." I smile when he turns a little pink. "Did you forget my name?"

"Uh..."

Hmm, elegant. "It's Sookie. Stackhouse," I say with a big smile, letting him off the hook. Although, his flustered face is pretty cute.

He looks relieved. "Sookie," he says. It sounds good on his lips. "Would you like to stay for dinner? We can talk since we didn't get to this morning. There's a great Thai place down the hill."

He wants me to eat dinner with him? Why am I suddenly nervous? He's my employer. Of course he wants to know the person who takes care of his baby.

"Sure. That sounds great!" I plaster on my nervous smile. I think he's looking at me strangely but I'm not sure.

"What do you want?" He hands me the menu and I notice he has a whole stack of menus near the phone. From what I saw of his fridge, that makes sense.

"I'll have Pad Thai," I say, looking briefly at the menu.

"It's really good there. Will you take her while I order?"

"Sure." I reach for Annika as he holds her out to me. I try not to touch his hands as I take the baby but that's almost impossible in this situation especially because his hands are huge. My fingers brush lightly over his. Dang. That same warm feeling. I can tell he feels something too because his eyes snap to mine. I look quickly away. What the heck?

I get Annika set up with some toys in the living room while I wait for Eric to get off the phone.

He comes back out with two glasses of water and offers me one.

"Thanks," I say. I guess he's not always a grump.

He sits down next to me on the couch. Not too close but not on the other end of the couch, either. That's good.

"So. Sorry about this morning," he looks apologetic. "And this evening," he looks even more sorry.

"Please don't worry about it," I smile trying to be reassuring. "You were in a hurry this morning and just being a good father this evening. It's fine. It really is."

He smiles, like really smiles, and the difference in his face is amazing. He was beautiful before, I mean, so beautiful that I wouldn't have thought it possible to be even better looking. But his smile does something to his face. It's like he's suddenly in soap opera lighting or something. Like someone applied makeup to his face and lit him perfectly and cast him as everybody's dreamboat. I can just hear the thousands of fangirls screaming for him. He is that beautiful and it renders me speechless.

I stare at him dumbly for who knows how long until I hear my name. He must have said it a couple times because he's looking at me strangely again.

"What? Oh, sorry. Sometimes my head is just full of thoughts!" I say like an idiot. Everyone's heads are full of thoughts, right? Stupid!

He chuckles warmly and continues speaking. "I was asking you how long you've been a nanny."

"Oh, I'm not. Not really. I mean, I babysit when I can and I took this assignment short term. I go to school across the river."

"Oh! Harvard?" He asks, eyebrows raised.

Well, at least he assumes I'm smart, which is surprising after the way I've been acting. "No, not Harvard. Anyway, I won't be here for long. Just until the end of the month when school starts again."

He looks kind of conflicted but before I can try to figure out why, his doorbell rings signaling that the food is here.

I walk over to set the table while he pays. At least he has dishes. I wonder how often they get used.

I walk back to get Annika to put her in her highchair and as I pass him, our arms brush together. I really really like touching him even though I shouldn't.

We sit down and start putting food on our plates. I can feel his eyes on me but when I look up, he's looking at his plate. Huh.

It's kind of awkwardly silent so I try to think of something to talk about.

"Why did you cut your hair?" I blurt. Crap. Why did I just say that? I blush like I always do when I'm embarrassed. Most of the time I embarrass myself. Just like now. I don't want to look at him but I force myself to lift my eyes. He's looking at me with a bemused expression on his face.

"My hair...?" He asks. His brows crinkle adorably. "How did you...?"

"I'm sorry. I saw a picture in Annika's room. I'm really sorry. Sometimes when I'm nervous I blurt things out. You don't have to answer."

His face changes. His eyes change and he looks into my eyes and he says in a deep voice, "Do I make you nervous?" It's like sex voice. Like serious sex voice. Holy. Crap. I know I look like a scared little girl because my eyes widen and I can't help my shocked expression. The look on his face vanishes and he stands up abruptly looking kind of pissed off.

"I'll get Annika something to eat while we sit here. I usually give her a biscuit if she sits with me while I eat." He's facing the cabinets the whole time and I wonder if he's pissed at me for snooping at his pictures.

When he comes back to the table, he hands Annika a cookie and sits down. He looks at me with a sort of blank expression and says, "I cut my hair because I was always finding it in Anni's mouth and hands. I thought short hair would be easier with a baby."

"Oh," I say, glad he is not mad but confused at the void I sense from him. He just blanked out on me for some reason. Maybe he doesn't like personal questions. Okay, no more personal questions. I'm trying to think of something else to ask him as I eat, when he asks me a question.

"What year are you in school? What are you studying?"

Two questions as it turns out. "I'm a senior. I'll graduate in the Spring. I study neuroscience." I hate talking about school. I hope my stilted answers will get him off the subject quickly. No such luck.

"Neuroscience, huh? That's interesting. Do you dissect brains and stuff?"

"I have."

His eyes widen and he changes the subject. Squeamish? "So, a senior. What are you 21, 22?"

"I'm 23. I took a year off before college to stay with my grandmother. She had taken a fall and her recovery was slow."

"That was really nice of you. I don't think many granddaughters would do that."

"Well, there was no one else. My only other family is my brother and he's pretty much an idiot. But I like to think I would have done it anyway. Family is really important to me. I love my Gran. She raised my brother and I."

I can tell he is getting uncomfortable with the personal talk so I change the subject.

"So, how about you? What do you do for a living?" Obviously something that makes a lot of money.

"I'm a corporate lawyer." He doesn't offer anything else and I don't ask. I fill the silence by eating. The food is really good. I don't eat Thai food often, but I almost always get Pad Thai and this one is the best I've ever had. I think maybe I can tell him that to break the silence but he beats me to it. I'm glad he seems interested in getting to know me.

"Where are you from Sookie? You have an accent."

I always get this question up here. "I'm from a tiny town in Louisiana called Bon Temps."

He raises an eyebrow. "I see and what made you come so far away for school?"

Oh my god. That eyebrow. If that isn't just the sexiest eyebrow I have ever seen. Yum! I have the sudden urge to lick it... Oh, I'm supposed to be answering a question. Crap.

"I, uh, didn't really fit in down there. I didn't want to be a cheerleader or waitress or baby mama so I got the heck outta Dodge, you could say."

Oh, what's wrong? What did I say? His face looks pinched and...hurt? Shoot! What the crap did I say? Then it hits me. I am so stupid.

"Not that there's something wrong with having a baby. Or being unmarried. Or you know, being a baby daddy. Which, I mean, you're not. You're taking care of her by yourself, which is really great and you do a really good job-"

I stop when he holds up his hand. "It's okay. Really."

That's what he said but there's something behind his eyes still and I feel like an ass for making him feel this way. I should just leave.

"I should go," I say. God, I need to get out of here before I make a bigger fool of myself.

"Okay."

But he looks even worse. Does he want me here? I can stay if he wants me to. What I can't do is watch him make that downtrodden expression anymore. It's killing me for some reason. I don't even think he knows he's doing it. It's just his eyes. I might be fooled into thinking he's fine by the rest of him but his eyes betray him.

"I can stay for a little while longer," I say, smiling. Hoping he will smile at me again and erase his pained expression from my mind.

He's pleased but doesn't smile. At least he looks happier.

"So where are you from?" I ask him, to his surprise. "I know you're not from anywhere near here. Europe, maybe?"

He looks shocked. "Most people don't pick up on that. I grew up in Sweden. I came here for graduate school ten years ago. At Harvard, actually."

"Your accent is barely there, but I can hear it in the way you say some words with s and words like 'to'. Americans usually use the weak form of 'to' with a schwa but you use the strong form almost every time you say it." I can see him looking at me weird so I try to explain better.

"Sorry, I also study language acquisition and linguistics so I like this kind of thing." I explain to him how Americans normally say words like 'a' and 'the' and how he usually does. I explain how he says 'to' and how most Americans do. I have been talking animatedly and looking all around but as I look back at him, I can see he finds me amusing. I smile. "Sorry, I get a little carried away."

He smiles back. "And my s's?" He raises that eyebrow again. Oh mama that's hot!

"You, uh, mix up your s and z sounds sometimes. Like 'easy'? You say it with an s sound but we would use a z sound. It's subtle, but it's there."

"I see. Very impressive. Like I said, most people assume I'm American. It's better that way. Less probing questions."

"Oh, sorry. I won't ask you anything." Crap. I keep stepping in it around this guy.

He waves his hand to signal that it's not a big deal as he shovels in another bite of his food. Boy can he eat!

I'm done eating so I decide I really should leave. But I realize we didn't actually talk any business- like my business being his employee- and I have a few questions.

"So, what is your schedule like? When do you want me here and when do you usually get back and all that?"

"I'd like you here at 8 because that's when Anni wakes up but my schedule varies. Sometimes I get home at 5 or 6 and sometimes it's not until 8. I'm busy at work right now...busier than usual, so you can expect some late nights. I'll call if I will be later than 8." He sighs, and for a second I can see all the stress of his job on his face. I would love to be able to help him with that. I just want to smooth his furrowed brow with my fingers and make him feel better.

"Ok, sure. Also, do you mind if I bring over some food? Do you have, like, pots and pans and stuff?" I didn't see any when I was looking for Annika's food.

He grins at me again and it's like tv lighting all over again. I try not to stare.

"Yes, I have cooking implements. I can cook, I just don't have the time. You are welcome to bring whatever you would like over."

"Great, thanks! Um, do you guys have any allergies? So I don't bring that here?"

"I don't and I don't think she does but she hasn't had everything yet."

"Ok, well I won't give her anything new. So, I think I should get going. It's getting late."

"How will you get home?" Oh great, is he going to offer me a ride home? I really don't want him to. This night has been way too much awkward already. We do not need to add a silent car ride.

"I'll take the T. I do it all the time."

"No, it's dark. I'll call you a cab. It won't take long. There are always some close by."

"There's really no need. I'll be fine." I really do take the T all the time, day or night. There are always tons of people around at night and it's not even that late.

"I insist. It will make me feel better," he says. Given how high strung he has proven himself to be, I guess I can give him this. Tonight.

"Okay, thank you." Well, at least it's not an awkward car ride.

He calls and five minutes later we hear a honk. I grab my bag and put on my coat.

"See you tomorrow. Thanks for dinner!" I say cheerily.

He grabs my hand in a firm shake but he doesn't let go right away. He's looking at me funny again.

"Goodnight Miss Stackhouse," he says in a soft voice. I think I just got chills.

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ERIC

Shit, I forgot to tell her about my conference next week. I'll have to tell her tomorrow.

I turn from the door and scoop up my little one from her high chair.

"Did you like her, baby girl? She's pretty nice, right? Yeah."

I know she doesn't understand me but she's the only one I have to talk to at night. She hears way too much about my day and even though I try not to curse in front of her, I'm sure she's heard more f-bombs than the average nine month old. I made a promise to stop cursing before she starts talking. We'll see.

As I get Anni's last bottle ready, I can't stop thinking about Sookie. This morning when she got here I wasn't really looking at her but when I saw her in that wet shirt, with her full lips and her round curves, I think I went a little crazy. Then when she was talking to me I could barely concentrate on her words. I just kept looking at those lips of hers and imagining them on mine.

I've never had a reaction like that to a woman. I bet she thinks I'm an idiot. She's obviously really smart. She knew I'm from fucking Sweden. Some people I've worked with for years still think I'm American. And she's caring. I wonder what she would say if she knew I haven't spoken to my family in years. I'm sure she would be appalled. It is pretty shameful and I feel bad now but I don't exactly know how to close that rift.

I take the bottle and Anni and we go upstairs. Anni coos and babbles to me as I change her diaper and sit in her rocking chair. As I feed her, my thoughts drift back again to Sookie. I was so nervous that she wouldn't want to eat dinner with me. I don't even know why. It's not like it was a date but I never eat dinner with anyone. Well, not counting little people who can't talk or Pam if we have to work late. I have to admit that Sookie is a little strange, but she's smart and kind and beautiful. Shit, Northman! She's the fucking nanny. Remember that.

I didn't realize she would only be here a short time. I have got to do better for my girl. She deserves so much more than a replacement nanny every few months. When Sookie leaves, I'll have to get a new one and that will make five nannies in Annika's short life. If only her damn mother would have wanted her, wanted us. Anni deserves a mom who loves her and it kills me that I can't give her that.

Sookie said she left her small Southern town because she didn't want what was expected of her if she stayed and it just brought up all these memories of Sophie and her reasons for leaving me and Annika. She didn't want was expected of her either. She didn't want to be strapped down with a baby so she left town too. I hate that woman. I hate her for what she did to my beautiful daughter. How could anyone not love her? She is the best thing in my life. She is perfect and I am the flawed being devoted to her.

"I love you so much, baby girl," I whisper, looking down into her little face. "I don't deserve you. You deserve so much better than me."

I can't help the tears that threaten my eyes. She's the only thing that does this to me. I don't think that makes me a pussy, does it?

I rock Annika to sleep and lay her down then go back to the dining room to clean up. I walk down the stairs deep in thought. I'm glad Sookie seemed to like her Thai food. I wonder if she knew she closed her eyes and moaned upon her first bite and every fucking bite after. It was fucking hot- and tortuous. I had to get her talking because her moaning was making my pants uncomfortable. That's why I asked her about school. That, and I really did want to know more about her. Maybe figure out why I felt drawn to her. I was in danger of turning things inappropriate and was pissed at myself when I flirted with her. I couldn't help it, it was like an instinct. Her looking nervous and with that pretty blush on her cheeks- I almost made a damn fool of myself.

I pick up our dishes and rinse them off, placing them in the dishwasher. I'm still thinking. Still trying to figure things out. What the hell is wrong with me? I don't know why I like her so much. I mean, yes, she's beautiful. Brave too, with the way she stood facing my wrath with calm determination. But still, I have to be careful because she works for me and I can't fucking have her. It seems I made her nervous but she didn't seem uncomfortable around me. I need to keep it that way.

I close the take out containers and put them in the fridge along with the many others. No wonder Sookie assumed I have nothing to cook with. Truth is, I love cooking. I used to cook all the time. Before. Now I barely have time to fucking breathe. I know it's sad that I eat out so often but that's my life right now.

I make my way upstairs after turning off the lights. One thing is for certain, I think, as I strip off my clothes to step into the shower. She sure isn't boring.

I toss and turn in bed for a long time before I'm finally able to get to sleep. It's nothing new. I always have trouble falling asleep. What is new, is the fact that I just can't stop fucking thinking about Sookie. I must go over our evening together five or six times before I finally fall asleep. I'm so fucking pathetic.

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**A/N: So in this chapter, we see a little of Eric's vulnerability and some of Sookie's awkwardness. Even though Eric is successful and gorgeous, he still has his insecurities and his life is far from perfect and even though Sookie is really smart, she tends to embarrass herself easily and get down on herself.  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so happy that people seem to like this story! Thank you to all the readers and to the people who put the story on alert. I love all the reviews too! Thank you guest reviewers who I couldn't contact.**

**Chapter three starts with Eric's pov the next morning. So this is the second day.**

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ERIC

I wake up in the morning with a start as my alarm goes off. It's an unusual day when I am not awake long before that incessant beeping. This morning, however, I am startled out of a surprisingly sexual dream about Sookie. I'm left feeling conflicted. On one hand, it was an amazing dream. I am still in the state of mind to relive it as if it was real. I know it will fade soon but I can't help going over my favorite parts in my mind and it's still making my dick hard. But she works for me and I need to remember that. I cannot be thinking about her in that way. As much as I would love to fuck her senseless, her caring for Annika is much more important than satisfying an urge of mine.

Reluctantly I get up to shower and dress for the day. Sookie should be here soon and I need to be ready. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, my body will not calm down from my dream. I can't get my dick to go soft and I'm left with little choice but to rub one out in the shower. I can't answer the door with a hard-on. So, I take care of business while thinking about dream Sookie _taking care of business_, which, ironically is what has me in this position in the first place. Funny how that works.

I finally emerge from the shower, relaxed and ready to start my day. I get dressed quickly as I glance at my clock and realize I have ten minutes until Sookie arrives. I'm just zipping my pants when I hear the doorbell. Shit! I grab my socks and tie as I head down to answer it.

As I open the door, the first thing I notice is her smile. She looks so bright and cheerful that I smile right back at her. Her red lips are so enticing and I can't help staring at them. As her smile fades I realize that I have been standing there smiling at her while she stands in the doorway and I haven't made a move to invite her in. I'm an ass. I step back and ask her to come in.

"Thank you," she says. "I brought some stuff so I'll just put it in the kitchen if that's ok."

As I nod, she breezes past me and goes to the kitchen where she puts a couple bags on the counter. She's in there putting some food in the fridge when Annika wakes up and starts babbling.

"Oh! Should I go get her?"

"Finish with your groceries. She's always happy for a little while in the morning." I got lucky with my happy baby girl. So lucky!

She smiles and goes back to finish her task.

"Listen," I say, coming into the kitchen. "I meant to tell you yesterday but I have a conference in New York next Wednesday through Friday. Would it be possible for you to go down with me and Annika? I know it's short notice but the other nanny had already agreed and it's very important that I be there. Of course I will pay for your accommodations and expenses and pay you overtime for all those extra hours." I am rambling. I just feel bad about having to ask her this on her second day with us. I don't know what I will do if she says no.

She's smiling again at me. Grinning really. I stop talking.

"Sure, Eric. That's fine. No problem," she says happily.

Oh, thank god. "The easiest thing to do because of Annika, is to share a suite. I hope that's ok?" Shit, she looks anything but okay with that.

"Of course, I can get you your own room but it's easier if you can take her into your bedroom or get her in mine if I am out late." Not that I wouldn't love to share her bed.

"Oh, you mean a suite with a room for each of us?" she says and blushes.

I look at her probably a half second too long because she just looks so damn good with those pink cheeks. "Yes of course," I manage to say. She looks relieved and a bit embarrassed.

Annika stands up in her crib and starts to cry so our conversation ends for now. I can talk to her about it later. I try not to watch her as she walks up the stairs. I try but I am weak because I can't take my eyes off her perfect ass in her snug jeans that show me every tightening of muscle as she climbs. I am so fucking weak. When my dick twitches this time, I am reminded of my dream and the very nice, very naughty things she did to it. I am halfway to a hard-on when she emerges at the top of the stairs. I can see her in the mirror I'm using to put on my tie. As she comes downstairs, her eyes lock onto mine in the mirror and that is very much not helping the situation in my pants. I'm pretty sure there was lots of eye contact in my dream. As she gets closer, I focus on my tie to give myself a chance to calm down. I head to the closet for my jacket and shoes.

When I'm fully dressed she is standing by the door telling Annika to say bye to Daddy. I head over and am leaning in to kiss my girl when she is suddenly not there. I'm already halfway into my lean and it's instantly extremely awkward because I get a hell of a lot closer to Sookie than I mean to be. I straighten up but not before her scent surrounds me. I think I may have groaned a little because she smells so unbelievably fucking good. I want to lick her like a watermelon lollipop good. I stand up and look at her and she's smiling at me, but it's a tight smile, and I'm sure I've upset her when she holds Anni out and up to me.

"Sorry about that," she says. "Here. Kiss her now."

I do. And I tell her I love her while I internally sigh in relief. This girl is a surprise. As I reach for the doorknob I tell Sookie that I shouldn't be late tonight so she should have plenty of time for a fun Friday night with her boyfriend or whoever. Ok, I'm fishing but I can't really outright ask if she has a boyfriend. I shouldn't even care because I'm not going after her, right? Shit.

The usually relaxed and happy look on her face vanishes and she says goodbye. What the hell does that mean? Does she have a fucking boyfriend?

As soon as I get to my car, I lay my head on the top of the steering wheel and take a deep breath. Why can't I hold it together around her? I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a jerk. I'm certainly acting like an imbecile. I sit up and start the drive in to work. Luckily the weather is clear so I make it there with plenty of time to relax at my desk.

I used to use the work gym in the mornings before things got too intense with this merger. Now I just drink coffee and read the news like an old man. If I have time, I work out at lunch but that's usually only once or twice a week lately. I wish I had more time. I need the outlet. And with Sookie in my house, I think I'll need the outlet more than ever.

Pam comes in at precisely nine o' clock to get me moving.

"Let's go Northman! It's nine. Time to get some work done."

"Hmm, and here I thought I was the boss," I say playfully. That earns me a glare while she crosses her arms in front of her. "Alright, alright. I'm working."

She smirks at me and then sits down to go over my schedule with me. She reminds me about the conference next week as if I could have forgotten.

"Yes, well, I am reminding you because you have a new nanny. How's that going by the way?"

Oh just fine. Just trying not to have a constant hard-on around her. "It's fine," I say.

I start to tell Pam that I already asked Sookie about the conference when she cuts in.

"Eric Northman, you are blushing! Why the fuck are you blushing at the mention of your nanny?"

When I just stare at her she says, "Please, for the love of all things holy, please Northman, do not fuck the nanny." She says the last few words very slowly like I'm an dimwit who wouldn't otherwise understand.

"What the hell, Pam? Have some faith in me! I wouldn't do that!" Yes I fucking would!

She is quiet for a second, staring at me. I'm starting to think she can read my emotions because she looks very suspicious of me. "Fine, Eric. I'm just saying it's the last thing either of us needs. Keep it in your pants until the merger is over at least."

"Yesterday, you said I needed to get laid," I say but immediately regret it when Pam stands up and leans across my desk to glare at me six inches from my face. "I'm kidding. Shit." But I do need to get laid. I didn't realize how much I miss the touch of a woman until I met a woman who I can't touch.

She straightens up and smiles and just like that, she resumes work mode. We have a busy day today so we get to it.

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SOOKIE

I'm never going to get used to how he answers the door. Yesterday he was half naked and today he is barefoot and wet. Okay, not all of him is wet, that would be a sight, but his hair is wet and there is a drop of water currently making its way down his neck and into the open collar of his shirt. A drop of water that I can't help staring at thinking how I would love to trace its path with my tongue. I can see he is smiling at me but then he looks a little upset as he invites me in. I have got to stop staring at him. I'm sure I'm making him uncomfortable.

I walk in with my bags and after I put my food away he's asking me to go to a conference with him. As soon as he asks, I open my mouth to say yes but he keeps on talking. After another sentence I try to say yes again but he won't stop talking long enough for me to answer. I smile at him, thinking how funny it is for this giant man to be babbling like he is. When I finally tell him I can come, he looks so relieved I'm glad I can ease his worry. Although he does nothing but make me worry when he says we should share a suite. No no no. That would not work out. I cannot be in such close proximity to this gorgeous blonde. I will make a fool of myself.

I blush as I realize I've misunderstood him. He means sharing a large suit with multiple rooms. Of course. Great, now he must think I'm an idiot.

Annika cries and as I go get her, I am so glad for the interruption. I change her diaper and bring her down to say goodbye to Eric. As I'm walking down the stairs, I hear whistling. Now, I normally can't stand whistling and by extension, whistlers. I just find it so obnoxious and annoying- usually. I can't help but smile, though, when I recognize the song being whistled is Olly Murs' _What A Buzz_. As I walk further down the stairs I can see Eric's face in the mirror by the entryway. He's putting on his tie. As I watch his puckered lips, his eyes suddenly lift and meet mine. Neither of us is smiling anymore but I feel myself start to breathe a little harder as his gaze stays steady on mine. It lasts just a moment more, probably less than two seconds in all but I can't describe the flutter going through my entire body. Weird.

He's getting his coat so we go stand by the door and as I adjust Annika by sliding her to my other arm, Eric is suddenly looming above me. He is way too close to me and I don't realize why for a second. He stands up looking kinda panicked and I realize I did something else stupid so I apologize and hold Annika out in front of me so he can say goodbye without any awkwardness. This has been such an awkward morning.

He says something to me about coming home early so I can go out with my boyfriend. As if. Ugh.

As soon as Eric leaves I take a deep breath as I lean back against the door. That could have gone better.

"Hi baby girl," I coo to Annika as we head to the kitchen for a bottle. "Why is your daddy always half dressed? Is he trying to give me a heart attack?" She, of course, just smiles at me.

After I feed her, our morning flies by and soon it's time for her nap. I dance her to sleep and then head down to cook lunch for myself. It's a little early but this is my only chance until this afternoon when Annika naps again.

As I open the fridge, I realize there are way too many take out containers in it for all of them to still be good so I set about opening containers and throwing the spoiled food away. When I'm done, the garbage is full and the fridge is just about empty. Not wanting to leave Eric with a garbage full of rotten food, I quickly take it outside to the trash can.

I start cooking my lunch, which is fettuccine alfredo with broccoli and chicken. I eat quickly because Annika will be up soon. I figure I'll do the dishes when she takes her second nap. As I get up to take my plate to the sink I decide to make a plate for Eric to eat later since there is so much leftover. I don't really want to haul it home and it's Friday so I won't be eating it here tomorrow. I saw how much Thai food Eric put away so I know he'll be able to eat it all. I fill a plate with food, literally fill- it's overflowing- and wrap it up for the fridge. I hope he doesn't think it's odd that I'm leaving food for him. It's something I get from my Gran- wanting to feed people who seem to need a home cooked meal.

Just then, Annika wakes up so I go up to get her. When I'm changing her diaper the doorbell rings. I have no idea who that could be and Eric didn't mention any visitors so I peek out the living room window to catch a glimpse of the guest. I see an older woman with a basket of cleaning supplies in one hand and a pair of rubber gloves in the other. Eric didn't tell me to expect a house cleaner so I open the door hesitantly.

"Hi," I say uncertainly.

"Hi," she says. "You're new. Let me guess, he didn't tell you to expect me?" She waves at Annika who smiles at her.

"Well, no..."

"Do you need to call him?" She seems to have been through this before.

"I guess I do," I say gesturing for her to come in as I walk to the kitchen to use the phone.

I do not expect the voice that answers the phone and I hesitate to talk.

"Hello!?" says the woman on the other end of the phone for the second time.

I regain my composure as I realize it's probably his secretary who answered.

"Oh, hi," I say trying to recover some dignity, "Is it possible for me to speak with Eric? Mr. Northman?"

"Well, that depends on who you are and why you are calling," she says in a scathing tone.

Oh great. Now his secretary hates me. "This is Sookie Stackhouse, his nanny. There is a house cleaner here that Eric didn't tell me would be coming so I am just calling to confirm that it's ok for her to be here."

"Yes. We don't need to bother Eric with this, now do we? He's very busy you realize. The house cleaner is scheduled for Fridays. Is there not a calendar on the fridge?" I can tell she really hates me.

I look at the fridge and realize there is a calendar there and every Friday is listed MetroMaids. Well, shoot. But I still think he could have told me.

"Oh, I'm sorry. He never told me to look at this. I didn't know it was here."

"Yes, well, we'll have to try a little harder won't we dear? Now if there is nothing else...?"

I realize she is waiting for me to speak. "No! That's all. Thanks."

I turn to the woman who is standing with me in the kitchen and sigh as I see the look she is giving me. It's a look that says she knows what a bitch the lady on the phone was to me and she sympathizes.

"Do you know her?" I ask.

"Women like her. I understand being talked down to because of your job. Don't worry about it." She smiles kindly at me.

"Thanks," I say before realizing I never introduced myself. "I'm Sookie."

She holds out her hand and says, "Mary. Nice to meet you."

I smile as I shake her hand. "Do you need me and Annika to leave while you clean?"

"Oh no. Everything I use is safe for a baby. Eric insists on it. Everything is all natural."

"Have you been working for him for long?" I ask as I get Annika set up for lunch. I realize I know next to nothing about him because he is not very forthcoming about himself. I would like to know more.

"Since this little one was tiny and he moved in here."

"So did you know his wife?" I really don't even know if he was married or not.

"No, he was alone with that tiny baby when I met him. I felt so bad for him at first. He was so overwhelmed. I came twice a week then and every time I came in, the house was a disaster. Eric was a disaster. But that baby was always well taken care of. He made sure of it. He was grungy and there were food and diapers everywhere but she was always clean and fed and happy. That's how I knew he was a good guy. He loves that girl more than anything."

Hearing her tell this story about Eric, I can't help but feel bad for how hard his life must have been with a newborn alone. I feel tears prick my eyes when she tells me how much he cares for his daughter. I could tell right away how much he loves her. His face shines with it.

"I think he's a good guy too," I say.

She gives me an assessing look and says, "Yes. Things have gotten easier for him. After the first month or so, he hired a nanny and went back to work and he seems much more at ease with fatherhood. Although, with the way he goes through nannies, I'm not sure he's that relaxed in life."

I don't think she meant for me to hear that last remark because when I ask her what she means, she looks at me quickly before saying she needs to get cleaning so she can get to her other house after.

I leave her to it and when Annika is done with her lunch I take her upstairs to play.

When Mary finishes the downstairs, she starts on the upstairs. She comes into Annika's room to clean so we head out. As we're leaving the room she stops me.

"Sookie, dear, did you clean out the fridge and take out the garbage today? And you left him some food that you cooked?"

"I noticed all the containers and I didn't know you'd be coming so...yeah. I cleaned it out and I had some leftover food from the lunch I cooked and figured he'd like a home cooked meal. You can only eat so much take out. Don't you think?"

"I do, dear. I do," she says. As we're leaving I think I hear her say something about me staying a while but Annika is babbling at me so I'm not sure.

We play and Annika has a bottle and I'm reading to her as Mary comes down saying she is finished.

We say our goodbyes before she heads out. Pretty soon it's time for Annika's nap so we head up.

I had planned to do lunch dishes while she slept but they are already done so I decide to just watch some tv. Well, I try to watch some tv but I can't figure out the remotes so I just tidy up Annika's toys and then decide to text Amelia.

_S: Hey! I'm bored. What r u doing?  
A: Out to lunch with Tracy in Harvard Square. Baby asleep?  
S: Yeah. Can't figure out the tv remotes. :(  
A: Must be fancy. Sorry. :( How's that hot boss of yours?  
S: Ha! He answered the door wet and barefoot this morning. I almost died.  
A: He has to be doing this on purpose!  
S: I think he's just busy but I'm not complaining!  
A: Good girl. You need some excitement in your life! It's been too long!  
S: I know, I know! Don't start lecturing me again.  
A: I won't. Not everyone is Bill, though.  
S: Amelia!  
A: That's all I'm gonna say. I love you, Sook.  
S: Thanks. I might make it to dinner tonight. He said he'll be home early.  
A: That'd be great. Call me when you leave there. We'll make plans. I gtg now. Tracy says hi!  
S: Ok. Hi Tracy! Have fun. Ttyl._

The rest of the day goes by fast and soon Eric is home. He walks quickly to where we are in the living room and scoops Annika up in his arms for a cuddle. I like the way his face changes when he sees her. It's like the day's stress melts away and he is just happy. His features soften and he looks at ease. It's nice. I'm glad she does that for him.

I give him a quick rundown of the morning and then pause when I start to tell him about Mary.

I know I look sheepish when I tell him about not knowing she would be here.

"No, I should have told you," he says looking contrite.

"Well, I'm sorry I bothered your secretary when I should have seen the calendar. I know you're busy but I didn't know what else to do."

"How could you know about the calendar? Sookie, it's fine for you to call me. The only reason Pam is to be called is because I'm in a lot of meetings. Especially now." He runs his hand through his hair. It seems like a stress move. I think again about how I would love to relieve his stress- and not necessarily in a sexual way, although...

"Okay, well at least now I have seen the calendar. So if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way..."

One of those sad looks crosses his face and it strikes me that he is lonely. I can't stay tonight though because I have plans with Amelia.

"Sure. Thank you, Sookie," he says.

I think he is going to forget about making me take a cab but just before I reach for my coat, he says he's calling and that it will be five minutes.

"You really don't need to call me a cab every night, Eric," I say with a little exasperation in my voice. He looks taken aback. Maybe he thinks he's doing what he should for me? Is this just what he does for all the nannies?

"I'm sorry," he says, that hurt look flickering into his eyes for a moment. I just want to kiss him and make him better. I can't stand this look.

"No, I'm sorry. I know you're just being a good guy," I say, thinking about my earlier conversation with Mary. He is-being a good guy. I need to just accept that. Not everyone has ulterior motives for everything they do.

He smiles a little and when the cab honks he gives me a little shrug.

"Thank you," I say. "See you Monday." I run out to the cab and get in.

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ERIC

"Hey princess! It's the weekend," I tell Anni as soon as Sookie leaves. "We get two whole days together!" I fucking love weekends! I hate that I'm away from Anni so often during the week. As soon as I get her in my arms, I'm just so much happier. I kiss her little cheeks and make her laugh then put her in her highchair.

I open the fridge to get some leftover Thai food and I see a wrapped plate with a note on it. I take it out and read it.

_I had some leftovers from lunch and I thought you might like some.  
Sookie_

I uncover it and it looks really good. I'm surprised she is so thoughtful. Well, that's not true. This seems like something she would do. This is the kind of person she seems to be. She likes to take care of people and it feels nice to be taken care of sometimes.

I get Annika something to eat as I heat up the plate Sookie left. I smile as I watch her carefully pick up each Cheerio I have given her. I admit to being a bit too paranoid to give her much else to eat on her own. I just don't know what I'd do if something bad happened to her.

My first bite of the pasta Sookie left makes me groan. It's fucking fantastic. I eat the whole plateful of food quickly, probably moaning just as much as she was when she ate the Thai food. I don't eat homemade food often but I really fucking love good food. I feel like calling Sookie to thank her but I don't want to interrupt anything. I'm torn, but decide against it. I'll thank her Monday. I'm sure she wouldn't want to hear from me on her time off anyway.

After I wipe Annika up, we head upstairs for her bath. She loves bath time and even though it's messy, so do I. I love to hear my girl giggle and I splash her lightly to make her laugh.

Once Annika is asleep, I watch some tv to decompress and then head to bed. I am conflicted about whether to wish for another Sookie dream or not. Really, I shouldn't want another one but I am a man. A fucking lonely man, so ultimately I am not disappointed when I have another dream so good that it leaves my sheets wet and my boxers sticking to my body. Shit. This hasn't happened to me in a long long time.  
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**A/N: So, there's the end of day 2. A couple reviewers remarked about Sookie studying neuroscience. I just thought it was a good connection with the original Sookie's telepathy. Both Sookies delve into other people's minds- mine just does it physically.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter begins with a time jump to the following Wednesday when Eric's conference starts. I've decided to write one viewpoint for each day that they are in NYC and will start with Eric. So they have known each other almost a week at this point. A week is not long people!**

**Thank you, once again, for every alert on this story and double thanks for every review!**

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ERIC

It's Wednesday morning and we will be heading to the airport as soon as Sookie gets here. I am nervously pacing which happens every time I travel. Traveling with a baby is twice as hard as normal and I dread it.

When Sookie arrives, I call the cab and start bringing our luggage to the curb. We have a ten am flight and the airport will be crowded with business travelers and I'm feeling the need to hurry. I hate this jittery feeling I get.

Suddenly, on my last trip with our bags, Sookie is in front of me.

"Can I do anything to help you, Eric? You seem anxious. Are you okay?" She looks at me with concern.

I give her an apologetic smile and tell her that traveling just makes me nervous. She runs her hand up and down my arm and tells me that everything will be fine and that I should relax. I know her gesture is meant to be soothing but it just makes me think about all the time we will be spending in close proximity for the next three days and it does anything but relax me. I still can't be next to her without thinking of all the dirty things I want to do to her. I turn quickly to bring the last of the bags to the curb.

Soon the cab pulls up and we pile in after our luggage is secured. Luckily it's not a long flight but we still need to be at the airport early because it's a busy time. By the time we get through security, we have about forty-five minutes to wait until we board. As we make our way to the gate, I can see Pam already sitting there and I sigh because she always makes me feel better when we travel. She always knows exactly what we need to be doing and when and she has every contingency plan known to man, or woman in this case.

She stands when we approach and hands me a large cup of coffee. Oh thank you, brown liquid heaven, for making life bearable.

I introduce Pam to Sookie and can't help sensing a weird vibe between them. I don't know what that's about. As we get settled in our seats, Sookie takes Annika to walk around the gate area instead of sitting with us. I was looking forward to talking to her. Talking to Sookie after work is quickly becoming one of my favorite things and I'm disappointed when she walks away.

"She's a morsel. Maybe I can see why you want to fuck her," Pam says eyeing Sookie as she leaves.

"Pam, please," I hiss. "I do not want to fuck her." At least not right this second. I also don't want her to hear us talking about her. Things are awkward enough. They've gotten easier with the more time we spend around each other but things are definitely still awkward at times.

Pam looks at me like she can see right through my bullshit but she doesn't call me on it. Instead, she goes over our itinerary for the next few days, making sure I remember all the big meetings and the client dinner we will attend.

"You sure she can handle herself in the city?" Pam says as Sookie makes her way back to the gate. They have just announced that boarding has started for our flight. "She sounds like a real southern belle."

"Yes, Pam. She's smart. Lay off her." I feel protective of Sookie for some reason. I know she looks small and sounds delicate but she is smart and capable. I don't want Pam talking shit about her.

Pam gives me an odd look but then Sookie is back and we stand up to get on the plane. Pam and I sit across the aisle from Sookie and Annika. After I stow the bags I see Sookie struggle with putting the carseat in so I ask Pam to hold Annika while I help Sookie.

Pam takes the baby very gingerly like she's afraid of her, which she probably is. She almost never touches her if she can help it. I usually tease her about it.

I go across the aisle to help Sookie without realizing that the cramped airplane space will put me into very close proximity with her. I'm very big and the airplane aisles are very small. As I tighten the seatbelt around the baby's seat, my shoulder presses into Sookie's chest and now I'm not just breathing hard because I'm struggling with the seat. I hope she can't see what's happening in my pants. I finish with the seat and turn quickly to get Annika and put her in it. Sookie is still standing there in front of Annika's seat and I have to put my knee on Sookie's seat and lean over with Anni. I can feel my back brush against her front again and I fight the urge to lean back farther. I don't think I'm going to survive three fucking days with this girl.

Finally I sit down next to Pam, who is just smiling at me with a very strange look on her face.

"What?" I ask her, annoyed.

"Nothing, Northman. Nothing."

The flight is uneventful. Annika sleeps, Sookie reads, and Pam and I chat quietly about the conference.

Soon we are walking into our hotel room and I watch as Sookie looks around excitedly. She's like a kid on Christmas morning. He eyes light up as she notices each new thing she likes in the room. I watch her, smiling. She is really fucking cute right now.

The valet brings in our bags and I have him give Sookie the bigger room because it has an attached bathroom. As much as I would love to watch her walk through in a towel, I want her to be comfortable more. She seems grateful for that.

"What a great suite. It's like a whole apartment!" She's smiling so big. I really want to kiss her or maybe throw her down on one of these beds. Shit. This is going to be a long three days.

"The Kimberly is my favorite place to stay. It's not too big or pretentious. There are lots of things to do and places to eat around here, too." I shift Annika to my other arm so I can open the curtain and show Sookie the view.

"So, what's your schedule like for today? Do you have lots of meetings?" she says, coming over to look out the window.

"I do but nothing starts until after lunch. I thought we could eat around here. There's a pretty good place around the corner. Pam should be here soon so we can go down."

She was smiling but as soon as I mentioned Pam, she stiffened up and stopped. I knew I didn't imagine the weird vibe between them.

"Pam sometimes takes a while to get to know but she's not so scary once you do know her."

A sad look crosses her face as she says, "Yeah, pretty sure she doesn't want to get to know me."

I have the sudden urge to hold her in my arms and kiss that frown off her pretty face. When did I become such a sap? In any case, I'm saved from my thoughts by Pam's knock on the door.

I throw Sookie a sympathetic look over my shoulder as I open the door for Pam.

Lunch is not going as bad as I thought it would, given the hostile vibe on the way to the restaurant. We are at Dos Caminos, which has a relaxed atmosphere and some damn good tacos. Sookie's eyes immediately lit up when she saw the name and she said she loves the one in Soho. I wonder how often she goes to New York because she doesn't seem like the party girl type. Looks can be deceiving though. I'm sure I don't look like I want to lay her spread eagle on this table and eat her taco instead of the ones on my plate. At least I hope I don't. Shit, I'm almost ashamed of myself for that thought. Almost.

Regardless of the earlier tension, both women seem to be relaxing more and more and they are even talking to each other. Sookie talks about her major and all her research experience and I can tell Pam is impressed with her intelligence. Pam is one of the smartest and most driven women I know and she can be pretty snobby when it comes to her perceived notion of feminine worth. She doesn't think women should settle for domestic pursuits even though I try to tell her that everyone is fulfilled in different ways. Growing up in Sweden where gender equality is a given, I think that men and women should be free to choose whatever makes them happy. Hell, I'd stay home with Annika and do nothing but make her laugh all day if I wasn't solely responsible for keeping her fed and housed.

Unfortunately, that's the case and soon we are making our way back to the hotel after our delicious lunch. We come back with just enough time for me to grab my things before an afternoon of boring meetings.

"Sookie, I'll be back for dinner. Can I take you somewhere? With Annika of course!" This is not a date, that almost sounded like I was asking her out. Shit.

"Sure! But I get to pick the place!" she says smiling. She must go to New York often if she knows all these places to eat.

"Okay, I'm game," I say, returning her smile. I love her smile. If I could, I'd make her smile all day long just to watch her pretty pink lips curve up so enticingly.

"Great! I'll call for reservations. When will you be back?"

"Let's say 6:30. The meetings should finish by 5:30, but they might run long and I'll need time to get back here."

She stands up with Annika to say goodbye. By now she knows I like to kiss my baby before I leave so she comes over to me. "Say bye, Daddy," she tells Annika, "We'll miss you!"

We'll? _They_ will miss me? This slip of the tongue makes me so happy for some reason. She probably didn't mean to imply that she would miss me but she said it and I can't stop smiling.

If she notices what she said, she doesn't give any indication. She is just waiting for me to kiss Anni and be on my way. I do, and I walk out of the hotel room with a stupid grin on my face.

The meetings are one block over at the W Hotel so it's a quick walk. I meet Pam in the lobby and we walk over together.

Pam tells me that she actually likes Sookie and thinks that she's smart as well as pretty. I agree with her which earns me a suspicious glare and another warning to keep my dick in my pants. I'm trying. God am I trying, but my dick really wants to come out and play and I'm not going to be able to control him for much longer.

The meetings are boring and unless I need to speak, my mind keeps wandering to Sookie. She has occupied my thoughts a lot lately. It's like she has some magical pull and I can't help being drawn to her. I'm trying in vain to fight it. She makes me happy, though. That I can't deny. It's something I haven't felt except for where Annika is concerned for a long time. And it's not just because she is in my house all day. I've had three nannies before her and I did not feel anything for any one of them. Not even the skanky one who kept trying to touch me all the time and flirted mercilessly with me. I'd had to get rid of that one before she developed aspirations to be Anni's stepmom. No, Sookie is different.

Pam clears her throat and I look at her, pulled from my reverie. She's giving me a look.

"What?" I mouth to her.

She leans very close to me and says in my ear, "Are you daydreaming? You have a goofy smile on your face."

Shit! Do I? That's embarrassing! I sit up straight and look around but nobody is paying me any attention. Well, other than the woman who routinely eyefucks me every time we're in the same room. But she doesn't count. I vow silently to pay more attention and stop thinking about Sookie.

I get through the many tedious meetings I am forced to participate in and I am finally on my way back to the hotel. I realize I am almost as happy at the prospect of seeing Sookie now as I am at seeing my princess. I'm actually excited to go out to dinner with her. It feels like a date- with two important differences: my daughter will be coming along and I don't expect to fuck Sookie after. Not that I was a man whore before, but I did have a pretty good track record of first date sex. And I would love to continue this record with Sookie, I just don't expect to.

But, as I enter the hotel suite and watch Sookie walk towards me with a huge smile and a body hugging dress, I think that this just might be a night of the unexpected. I don't even know what she is wearing. Some sort of soft looking, gray, part sweater, part dress that hugs her every curve in the most delicious way. And to top it off she's wearing almost see through black stockings and knee high boots. Fuck. Me. I don't know whether I want to rub myself all over the soft fabric or rip it off and fuck her on the floor. Both. I want both. A soft growl escapes my mouth before I can stop it. If I had a genie I'd wish for this evening to end with my hands under that dress making her scream. That, or with the skirt flipped up and her panties pulled down while I bend her over the back of the couch. How about both?

I have been having all of these appalling thoughts as Sookie walks towards me with my baby girl. The only thing I can think of now, is that I hope Annika finds a better man than me. I just can't stop having impure thoughts about the nanny. What the fuck is wrong with me?

I take Annika from Sookie and kiss her all over her tiny face, which makes her laugh. "So, where are we going?" I ask. Then as casually as possible I say, "You look very nice tonight." Yes! I made her blush. I fucking love her blush.

"Thank you," she says shyly. She briefly looks at me before looking down. I don't think this woman knows how beautiful she is. This dress/boot thing she has going on is really working for her. The area of her body between where her dress ends and her boots begin, namely her gorgeous thighs, really stands out. I can't help thinking how I would love for those thighs to be wrapped around my waist as I drive into her over and over again- with the boots on, of course. Snap out of it, Northman! She's giving me a strange look.

"What?" she asks me because I've apparently been staring at her for some creepy amount of time.

"Uh, nothing!" I say a bit too brightly. Even I realize I sound like an idiot.

If she answered me about the restaurant, I didn't hear it. It's possible I was too busy ogling her body. To play it safe, I won't ask her again. "Shall we go?" I say instead. I get Annika dressed for outside.

She turns around to go get something and holy shit, the view from the back is even better. Her ass looks amazing in the soft clingy material of her dress. Now, I definitely want to bend her over the couch just to get the view from behind as I plow into her.

She comes back from her room winding a black and white scarf around her neck and then grabs her coat and purse and cheerfully says, "You ready? Let's go!" So if she's cheerful that means she didn't notice me drooling over her, right? Because she would not be cheerful if she knew the extent of my dirty fantasies.

I motion for her to walk ahead of me out the door because it's the gentlemanly thing to do. It has nothing to do with the fact that I want to watch her ass as she walks. Nothing. We make our way downstairs and catch a cab on the street. I look at her to give the driver our destination because I still don't know.

"Otto, please. On 8th and 5th Avenue. Thanks!" She is so smiley. I love it.

"Oh, Otto. That's Mario Batali's restaurant, right? It's like a train station inside." I've heard of it. This should be fun.

She looks at me for a second and I realize that she now knows I wasn't listening to her before but if she's upset with me, she doesn't show it. "Yeah, it's great! The food is awesome and it's really lively so a baby will fit right in. Of course, this little cherub would never cause any trouble, would you sweetheart?" She smiles at Annika and runs her hand down her little cheek. Oh, please pet me like that! I won't cause any trouble either. Can I tell her that? Probably not. It's a lie anyway, I _am_ a trouble maker.

We walk into Otto and the destination on our ticket comes up within a few minutes because Sookie made a reservation. When your table is ready, the city on the ticket they give you comes up on the train schedule board. I knew I was right to trust that she could take care of herself in the city. She knows what she's doing.

We look over the menu and both of us look up at the same time and say "Antipasti!" I grin at her and she grins back at me. We order a bunch of meats, veggies, and cheeses and the truffle honey that comes with the cheese is so fucking good. I want to drizzle it on Sookie and lick it off her. When she swipes a little of it off her plate and sucks her finger while moaning, I groan and have to cover it with a cough. Holy shit. This girl is going to kill me.

We both order pasta even though this is a pizzeria. I get fusili with sausage and she gets something that looks like lasagna noodles with a lot of red sauce. Her first bite leaves sauce all over her mouth which she licks off, pink tongue gliding over her lips, much to the amusement of my dick. Stake me now. I'm ready to die.

If I ignore the fact that her reaction to her apparently orgasmically good food is making my dick ache, we are having a spectacular time. I have been hard since she took her first bite and it's starting to hurt, but besides that, our conversation has not stalled once and we are laughing and having fun.

Annika is having fun watching all the people and everyone who passes her says hi to her. She has always been an attention grabber. It helps that she smiles brightly at everyone who even looks at her. God, I'm lucky. She is nothing like me. She's actually more like Sookie now that I think about it. They both spread sunshine wherever they go.

"I think we would be good friends if I didn't work for you," says Sookie, which makes me laugh. "Oh! That didn't come out right. I mean, we could, um," she is obviously horrified that her words could be insulting but it just makes me laugh harder.

"Yeah," I say, once I've recovered. "I know what you mean." Yeah, we could be a lot of things if she didn't work for me.

We finish our pasta and decide to get gelato which is a really unbelievably bad idea. Watching her lick her spoon over and over, while she gasps and moans about her "heavenly" gelato is making my previously aching dick throb. If I was a teenager, I would have already cum in my pants. There is nothing heavenly about my thoughts. They are downright wicked and they involve gelato, candle wax, and Sookie's naked body. See? I'm going right to hell when she finally kills me.

When at last she finishes her dessert I am glad for the reprieve of paying the bill before I have to stand up. I need the time to get my dick under control. It is seriously going to revolt if it doesn't get some action soon. I want this woman so fucking bad but the strange thing is, even if she doesn't want me back, if she only wants to be my friend I really think that would be okay too.

We get up to leave and as we are making our way out of the restaurant, a woman waiting for her table stops us. She looks at both Sookie and me and says, "I just wanted to say that your baby is just the cutest baby I have ever seen! You guys make such a nice family!"

I look at Sookie and can see her turning red as she tries to think of something to say. Seizing this opportunity, I grab her hand and wink at her as I politely thank the woman for her kind words. I pull Sookie along with me as I exit the restaurant and the feel of her hand holding tightly onto mine puts a huge smile on my face.

As soon as we're outside, she starts sputtering at me and I grin as I say, "Well, there was no need to embarrass that kind woman, right? We'll just let her believe what she wants." I wink again as Sookie gives me an incredulous look. But I notice that her hand is still in mine and she has made no move to let go of me. This evening, that has so far exceeded all of my expectations, might soon exceed a few more if things keep going so well.

Annika falls asleep in the cab on the way back to the hotel so I change her and put her in the crib once we get there. One thing about my Anni is that once she is asleep she does not wake up no matter how she is jostled around.

As I turn around from putting her down, I see Sookie standing in the doorway of my room. I can only see her silhouette because it's mostly dark in the suite. I can make out her long shapely legs, the seductive curve of her hips, and the dip in her waist as she stands before me. I want her. I want her like a coke fiend wants his next fix. My need for her consumes me and my body aches for hers. These thoughts and nothing else are swirling in my head as I stalk towards her.

As I get closer to her, she starts moving back. Her eyes catch mine and I can see in her eyes that she is not running away from me. No, she is pulling me with the force of her gaze and suddenly I am the prey. I am helplessly ensnared on her line and she's reeling me in. She backs up until she hits the back of the couch and then she somehow turns us around so that it's my back to the couch. She puts her hand on my chest and pushes me until I'm sitting on the edge of the couch back. She steps between my open legs, until we are so close together I can feel the heat coming off her body. My hands are unsteady as I reach for her and my breath uneven. What the fuck is she doing to me? I can feel her breath on my neck as she leans into me and my heart races. I breathe her in, her sweet scent surrounds me. I am hypnotized by the rise and fall of her breasts and my pants are unbearably tight.

She puts her hands into my suit jacket, running them up over my stomach and chest before pushing the jacket from my shoulders. As she smoothes her hands down my arms, the jacket falls to the couch. She reaches around to the back of my neck, lifting my collar and sending shivers down my spine. She slowly loosens my tie and slips it over my head. She puts it over her own head and it settles between her perfect breasts. Holy. Shit. She reaches out and traces the line of my jaw with her fingertips and runs her thumb across my bottom lip. My mouth opens and my eyes close because she feels so good. She is in complete control of me. When she leans forward and slides her tongue across my lip like she just did her thumb, I can't suppress the moan that leaves my mouth. My hands go to her back so I can pull her closer and she captures my lip between hers and sucks on it. Holy fucking shit. I open my mouth to her and her tongue finds mine. She tastes like the caramel and coconut gelato she just ate and I can't get enough of her. I would rather kiss her than breathe, I need her so desperately.

But somewhere in the back of my mind is a voice yelling at me to stop. Yelling that this is wrong. That she works for me and that I have no business with my tongue in her mouth. I am fighting against this voice with every stroke of my tongue against hers and every caress of my fingertips across her back. The voice gets quieter and quieter until she reaches down between our heated bodies to stroke my throbbing cock through my pants. I can't control the growl that emanates from deep in my chest or the warning voice that suddenly bellows _enough_! Shit!

I reluctantly pull back and reach down to stop her hand that's making me feel so damn good. She looks up at me, panting, confusion on her pretty face.

"I'm so sorry," I breathe, working hard to get myself under control. "I can't do this. We can't do this."

She stands silently, eyes intent on mine, and I can see her lust filled haze begin to lift. As she slowly comes back to her senses, her formerly heated look turns to shock and embarrassment. The last thing I want is for her to regret spending time with me. If I fail to control myself and it makes her want to leave us, I don't know what I will do. As much as I would love to bed her, I want her in my life even more. I want her in Annika's life.

Sookie steps back out of the shadow of my body and the look on her face scares me. "I'm sorry!" she says. "I got carried away. Please. Just pretend this didn't happen!"

"It's my fault," I sigh. I should have been in better control of myself.

"No! I went after you. Can you forget this happened?" She looks desperate.

I don't want to forget. I will never be able to forget the feel of her body or the touch of her lips. But that's not what I say, "Of course... But it's not your fault."

She smiles nervously at me, shaking her head, and practically runs into her room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Goddammit, Northman! The voice of my father echoes through my mind, _What a fuck up_. I am. I completely fucked that up. Things were going so well between us and now I don't know what will happen.

I grab my towel and head to the bathroom. Looks like I'll be taking care of myself in the shower. Again.

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**A/N: Sooo, I'm sorry to leave you hanging but I want this story to be at least somewhat realistic. I love the tension that comes from denied gratification so you'll have to wait a while for really good lemons. I hope that little zest will hold you over and that you will maintain interest in this story. I'm trying to make it entertaining so you will still enjoy it even without lemons. I hope you stick around! They will have a happy ending, things are still ok between them.**

**If you ever find yourself in NYC without dinner plans, check out Otto. The food is excellent and the truffle honey really is to die for- a bit savory, a whole lotta sweet. Just don't go if you have a headache, it is the loudest restaurant I've ever been to.**


	5. Chapter 5- The Make-Out, Sookie's POV

**I know I said I'd do one pov per day but I think a lot of people were surprised at Sookie's behavior so I wanted to give you her pov. Some clarity- Sookie was not naked. I re-read the scene and I realized it might have seemed that way because he was looking at her silhouette. She just had on a tight dress. Did anyone think she was naked?**

**So this is Sookie's pov starting when they left the restaurant. This will be pretty short.**

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SOOKIE

His hand is big and warm...and wrapped around mine. Why is this making me feel so good? He could have told that lady we are not together. He could have said thank you and just walked away. Instead he grabbed my hand. He's still holding onto me and I don't want him to let go.

I reluctantly do just that when the cab I signal stops and we climb in. Annika falls asleep in his arms on the way back to the hotel. There is something so endearing about this gorgeous giant man with a little sleeping baby on his chest and I fight the urge to just stare at them together. She is incredibly lucky to have him as her daddy.

I follow him into the hotel suite as he goes to lay Annika down and stand in the doorway watching him. When he puts her down, he looks up at me. I can see his gaze sweeping over me and when he lifts his eyes to my face, something in them changes. His gaze becomes steady and intense. His eyes are hungry, I can see desire on his face. He walks towards me with decisive steps and something inside me tells me to retreat. I take a step back to put more distance between us but then I decide I'm tired of backing down. I'm tired of withdrawing from situations like this. How long can I let my past affect my present? I want him and I can see that he wants me.

I continue walking backward but instead of fleeing, I am leading. I'm leading and he's following like a puppy follows his master. It's a powerful feeling to have a man so captured by you that he will follow you anywhere. I continue to back up as I guide him to the couch. He follows me as if we're dancing and I turn us around. This entire time he has been looking intently into my eyes as if he's hypnotized. He's much too tall and I need to bring his face to my level. I push him to sit down and he doesn't resist. I step into him and he brings shaky hands to my waist. I wonder how long it's been for him. It's been way too long for me.

He still in his jacket and tie and even though he looks so damn good, they need to go. I smooth my hands over his stomach and chest, feeling every ripple of muscle on my way to his shoulders. I have seen his naked torso. I know he is incredibly well built, but seeing and touching are two different things, and touching is infinitely better. After I get rid of his jacket, I work on his tie. As I lift his collar my fingers graze the little hairs on the back of his neck and I see a shiver run through his body. I put the tie around my own neck. Lots of men have naughty school girl fantasies and I can tell by the darkening of his eyes that he is one of them.

His face is perfection and I need to touch him. I run my fingers over his strong jaw and trace his bottom lip with my thumb. His lips, like the rest of him, are beautiful. Full and red, they beckon to me. He parts them and closes his eyes. I lean into him and slide my tongue across his lip and he moans into my mouth. The vibration of his voice against my lips sends a shockwave through me. The wave heads south and inflames my body. Suddenly I need more of him. I suck on his lip until he opens his mouth so I can taste him better. His mouth is sweet like his dessert. I could kiss him all night long. He pulls me towards him and our kiss deepens. He runs his fingertips up and down my back with a surprisingly gentle touch. His chest rumbles with his every breath, sending heat down my body.

I put my hand on his taught stomach, feeling it expand and contract as he breathes. He's close to panting, his muscles ripple under my hand. I slide that hand down to his hip and across the hard length of him straining against his pants. My fingers encircle him and stroke firmly. He growls, low and deep, and I feel him pulse in my hand.

Suddenly I feel his hand on top of mine as his mouth pulls away from me. I look at him, wondering why he is stopping. He mumbles something that my brain can't comprehend right now. I'm in a sex haze and need a minute to clear my head. I can tell by the look on his face that he is not happy. He's still breathing just as hard as I am as his words register. _We can't do this. _I know he's right and this is wrong. I apologize to him for getting carried away but he sighs and tells me it's his fault. I was a very willing participant but I can see the self deprecating look on his face. I can't let him take the blame for this. He has enough stress in his life without having to think that he took advantage of me. Because he so did not. This look on his face is one I've come to hate. I can't believe I made him feel this way. This was not my intention.

He's looking at me with those hurt eyes and I have to get away from him. I need to figure out a way to fix this but I can't look at his precious sad face anymore. I need some space so I walk quickly to my room and shut the door. I need a cold shower and a good night's sleep. It has been a very long day.  
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**A/N: So that's how Sookie feels. She enjoyed kissing and fondling Eric, she would have continued, but she feels bad that he feels bad. Eric, as a man and someone who has been hurt in the past, does not always correctly interpret the actions or intentions of others. He is quick to blame himself and assign untrue motivations to others. This will all come out eventually in the story but I thought I'd give you a little glimpse into him now. The next chapter will continue with Sookie's pov on the next day.**


	6. Chapter 6

**There is nothing changed in the next three chapters except for the Author's Notes because I was alerted that I'm not allowed to interact with reviewers in the story, only in PMs. Who knew? Sorry.**

**What? Three chapters in three days? Yes, because you all are so kind and there are more than 100 reviews for this story! I completed this chapter yesterday and decided to post it for you guys today. I probably won't post another for about a week because I need to work on my other fic and I need to get ready for a class I start teaching next week. So, I hope this will hold you over. Thank you for all the reviews on this story. Every time I read one I turn into Mikey's brother. ****_They like it!_**** (I probably just dated myself there, lol)**  
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SOOKIE

I wake up because I can hear Annika crying. I listen for a couple seconds thinking Eric is going to get her because she's in his room. I really don't want to face him just yet. When she's still crying after a minute I get up and walk through the suite to his bedroom. I knock on the door but get no answer. Annika is getting really upset so I open the door to get her. She's standing up in the crib and when she sees me she reaches her little arms out for me.

"Oh, poor baby," I say picking her up. "Where's your daddy?"

I get her supplies out and lay her on the bed to change her diaper before I go make her a bottle.

Just as I'm finishing and I pick her back up, Eric comes walking into the room. I don't know what it is about him but I just always seem to catch him when he's less than fully dressed. This time, however, beats every other time by a long shot. Eric is standing in front of me clad only in a small white hotel towel. He is dripping wet, his hair sticking to his forehead in a boyish way. What is not boyish, in any freakin' way, is his body. His chest and abs are glistening wet and the towel does little to hide the bulge at his crotch. Oh sweet Jesus! I felt what's under that towel last night. Suddenly everything about yesterday evening floods into my mind. What started out as a really fun night, ended so messed up. But my regret does not render me immune to his body. No, seeing him practically naked before me is making me think of how he felt when I had my hands all over him. I'm staring at him and I can only hope I'm not drooling. I really can't make myself stop looking at him. Oh my god, stop staring!

"I heard her crying. I didn't know you were in here," he says and I finally look at his face. He looks suitably chagrined. He recovers quickly, though, and I think I see a wicked glint of something in his eye.

I know my face has to be bright red because I've been staring but he seems pretty nonchalant apart from his brief look of unease. He walks over to Annika, who is in my arms- hello!- and kisses her good morning. What the heck is he trying to do to me? Is it possible to die both from shame and desire at the same time?

"I'm going to feed her," I say in a strangled voice and practically run out of the room with her. Damn him and his perfect body!

Thankfully, the next time I see him he's dressed. He seems completely normal when he sees me. Like I didn't just see him with only a towel. I know Swedes aren't bothered by nudity but especially after last night he's acting so normal. _I'm an American_, I want to scream. _You can't just do that to me! _I don't think I'm ever going to be the same again! Every time I see a glimpse of his skin I will be reminded of last night.

I'm feeding Annika and he says he wants me to come upstairs to the breakfast buffet with him to eat. He says he'll feed her while I get ready. I just nod and hand him the spoon and then hightail it to my bedroom.

I'm glad for the excuse to go into my room and close the door. I take a deep breath as soon as the door clicks closed. I know I'm overreacting. Especially given Eric's non reaction. And really, he wasn't even naked. Judging by my reaction to towel Eric, if I ever saw naked Eric, I'd faint. I try to tell myself not to make it a big deal but his naked chest reminds me of the feel of it pressed against mine like it was last night. That thought only reminds me of his lips pressed to mine and soon I am breathing just as hard as I was last night when he finally stopped kissing me. Stop it, Sookie! Stop thinking about his talented tongue in your mouth. I take a deep breath or two and by the time I'm dressed- in jeans and a fluffy blue sweater- I am calm and thinking rationally again. I'm ready to face him without feeling awkward.

Except when I see him, looking all gorgeous in his slim trousers and fitted black v-neck sweater, my entire self pep talk goes out the window. I didn't really look at him when he came out of his room before so I wasn't prepared for this sexiness. I've only ever seen him in a suit before, well, or a towel, and this new look practically screams sex. I think I like it better than the towel. Maybe. In any case, I know I've been looking at him for far too long. And I haven't been looking at his face. So when I finally lift my eyes and see that damn eyebrow arched above his eye as he just waits for me to stop eyefucking him, I am supremely embarrassed. I can feel my face heating up and I want to die.

He grins at me and says, "I don't always wear a suit," in a way that makes it known that he knows why I was staring at him. How long until I can go home? I will not survive much longer.

The elevator ride up to breakfast is silent except for Annika's babbling. She really is the happiest baby I've ever watched, which is surprising because her dad seems kind of...moody. He is really good to her, though, which I guess is why she's so happy. I smile at her as she looks all around the elevator with wide happy eyes. She has expressive eyes just like Eric. It's really cute to see him in her face and her expressions.

I'm just glad Pam is not coming with us right now. Lunch with her yesterday was okay and I think she didn't hate me by the end, but I know she would sense whatever weird thing is happening between me and Eric. She knows him too well not to. I'm glad she's a good friend to Eric, though, and I like the way she teases him. It's nice to see him laugh.

The elevator stops at the top floor of the hotel. The restaurant, aptly named Upstairs, is stunning with huge windows and a glass ceiling. The view of the city is spectacular. There is lots of outdoor seating and I wish it was warm enough for that. This place really is amazing. The breakfast buffet is fantastic of course, and Eric eats a ton. I don't even see how he can eat so much and stay so thin.

"How do you stay in such good shape?" I ask him before I can stop myself. That brain/mouth filter thing most people have? Yeah, mine was broken long ago. At least I ended the awkward silence that had settled on our table. I give him my most apologetic smile for once again diving into his personal life without thought. "It's just that you eat...a lot and you're so... thin and...in...shape..." Why is he letting me go on? Why doesn't he stop me? Why is he smiling at me like that? I close my mouth and my eyes and just breathe. Clearly this morning needs a do-over. And as long as we're thinking about it, let's start with last night.

"I like it when you do that," he says quietly. I have no idea what he's talking about so I open my eyes and look at him in confusion. He continues, "When you get embarrassed and ramble on and turn pink. I like it."

I just stare at him. I have no idea what to say right now. He likes when I make a fool of myself?

We say nothing for a few seconds, we're just staring at each other. Then Eric stands up, throws some money on the table, picks up Annika, and tells me to enjoy my breakfast and he'll meet me back at the room. He eats much faster so I'm only halfway done but I can't help the feeling that he's running away because I made him uncomfortable. Or he made me uncomfortable. Whatever happened, both of us are clearly uncomfortable. Again. Is it really only Thursday morning?

I make my way back to the room with dread like a hot knife through my stomach. I ate as slowly as I could but I just couldn't dawdle any longer. I think our waitress was giving me a look too. She probably wants to get in his pants like every other freakin' woman who looks at him, including me, shamefully. Why can't things just be easy between us? Because he's insanely gorgeous? Because I want to throw him down and have my way with him? Because he's my boss and I had my tongue in his mouth and my hands all over him last night? Oh- possibly that.

I open the door to our suite to find Eric on the floor with Annika. He jumps up when he sees me and comes to stand in front of me. He dips his body down so we are at eye level with each other and gives me a little smile, remorse all over his face. I smile back and his relief is evident in the softening of his features.

"I'm sorry, Sookie," he says. "Shit, I always seem to be apologizing to you. I just...fuck. I don't know. I want us to be friends. I don't want you to feel like you can't work for me. I shouldn't have said that at breakfast. I don't know why I did."

He looks into my eyes and I smile. I have a thousand things running through my head right now but I can't find a single word to say. I'm glad he continues so I don't have to.

"I don't want what almost happened to change things. When I'm around you..." He shakes his head and starts again. "Just please stay. For her?" he gestures to Annika. "I really would like to try to forget about last night and go back to how it was. Do you think that's possible?"

I finally put my words in order so I can respond. "Eric, don't worry. If you want to forget about last night, I will. And look, I'm going to stay, ok? For Annika and for you. I want us to be friends too." I give him my most sincere smile. I really do like him. A lot. If he wants to be my friend, I will take what I can get.

He smiles back and the tension that had been so thick in the air seems to dissipate. I think we're okay. Things seem to go back to normal- or as normal as they get with us. He sits back down on the floor with Annika, who crawls over to him.

He tells me he has meetings all day but that I am free to find something I want to do in the city. He just wants me to keep my cell phone on so he can reach me if needed. I'm surprised that he trusts me in Manhattan with his baby. I thought he was more uptight than that.

As if he knows what I'm feeling he says, "I'm trying to relax," and gives me a sheepish smile. God, he's adorable. How he can go from smolderingly sexy to boyishly adorable so easily is beyond me. I know I shouldn't be thinking like that but I can't help it. He's just so beautiful.

He gets up and grabs the stuff he'll need for the day. He hands me fifty dollars and tells me it's for lunch and whatever I want to do in the city. I try to tell him that it's way too much but he won't take any back. He kisses his baby and then leaves.

I decide to hang out in the suite until after Annika's nap so we just play and dance around until she gets sleepy. I put her to sleep and curl up on the couch with my book. This time to actually read it.

When I was sitting on the plane to New York City, I was pretending to read. I didn't want to talk to Pam and Eric but I couldn't just sit and stare like David Puddy. So I got my book out and I pretended to read. Maybe sad but Pam is damn intimidating at first and frankly, she scared me! I didn't want to have to make small talk with her and Eric.

My cell phone rings so I put my book down. I can see by the number that it's Eric.

"Hello?" I say.

"Sookie? Hi," he says.

"Hi," I say again. Yup, back to awkward.

He laughs a little and then tells me about some dinner he has tonight that he forgot to tell me about earlier. It's a 'working social dinner' which sounds pretty horrible to me. I don't think it sounds any better to him judging by the sound of his voice when he tells me about it. He says he will be back late and to bring Annika's crib out to the living room so that I can hear her if she needs anything. I love how he is always thinking of her. I tell him I will and wish him a goodnight.

When Annika wakes up, I feed and change her and pack up her stuff to go out. I decide to go to the Museum of Modern Art because I want to see what's new there and I like to look at all the Picasso's they have.

After the museum, we eat lunch and then go back to the hotel for Annika's next nap. She falls asleep on the way back so I carefully put her in the crib and then go in the living room to watch some tv. I end up falling asleep on the couch.

I wake up with heat between my legs. I've just had the most erotic dream of my life. It starred Eric, of course, and what was under his towel this morning. The towel left little to the imagination and between that and my previous night's groping fingers, my sleeping mind had no problem figuring out the rest. And, hot damn, what his dream body could do! And his dream fingers. And I already know what his mouth can do. I need another cold shower.

I know I shouldn't be dreaming about him. We are just supposed to be friends. It just seems like we have this really weird connection. Sometimes things are just plain awkward between us but other times, when he looks at me, or we touch, it's like I can feel something deeper. And last night- well, that was spectacular until it ended abruptly.

I hear Annika wake up and I check the time. It's later than usual. She must have been worn out too. It's almost dinner time and I really don't feel like going out to eat. I call the front desk and they tell me of a pizza place that will deliver to the hotel so that's what I do. I feed Annika her baby food while I wait for the delivery. The pizza is really good. I love New York pizza. There is nothing like it. It's huge so I put most of it in the fridge under the wet bar. I'm sure Eric will eat it at some point.

Since we're finished eating, I decide to give Annika a bath because we have nothing better to do. Eric will be home too late to do it. I start the bath while I undress Annika. The bathrooms in this place are huge and beautiful. This whole place is exquisite. When I first walked into the lobby with Eric, I was enthralled. I wasn't paying attention to Eric checking in until I noticed all the women who suddenly came to help him with, well, nothing. What did he need help with? They were just hovering and smiling at him and trying to talk to him. One asked how long he'd be staying, one asked after his "precious baby girl," and one really wanted him to need some recommendations for dining or entertainment. I think she wanted to be the entertainment. I was watching him to see how he'd react but he honestly didn't seem to notice the fawning. He answered any questions with short polite answers, he smiled but it was not his tv smile, he went about his business as quickly as he could and then he walked away. Either he is completely oblivious to how freaking attractive he is or he just doesn't like to be drooled over by simpering women. Either way is good I guess.

The bath is at a good level for Annika so I put her in along with the toys we brought. She splashes and chews the rubber duck while I wash her. I let her stay in and play until the water gets cold because she loves it so much.

I sit her in the living room once I've put on her pajamas and go to make her last bottle before bed. I pull her crib out into the living room and then settle in one of the comfy chairs to feed her. Soon she is asleep and I go into my bedroom to read before I go to sleep. About forty-five minutes later Annika wakes up so I go out to get her back to sleep. As I'm dancing with her, her little head just keeps whipping around looking all around the living room. She won't lay her head down and relax so I think maybe she is scared out here in this big room. I pull the crib into my room and try again and this time she lays her head against me and falls right to sleep. I go out to the living room and watch some tv until I get tired.

It's late when Eric gets back and I am in bed. I have been trying but I haven't been able to get to sleep. I hear him come in. I hear what sounds like a stumble and then a curse. It sounds like cursing but it's not in English so I'm not sure. I hear him walk into the living room and then I hear him curse again. That's when I realize that he doesn't know his baby is in here with me. I'm about to get up and go tell him I have her when he slowly opens the door to my room. I left it halfway open on purpose because I have Annika in here so he just has to push it open a little to be able to see her.

When he comes into the room I sit up against the headboard and whisper, "I brought her in here because she was having a hard time sleeping. I didn't mean to scare you."

He sighs and comes closer to look down on his sleeping baby. "That's ok. Did I wake you up?"

"I wasn't asleep," I say. "How was your night?" We're both whispering and it feels oddly intimate in the dark.

He surprises me by sitting down on the bed. He's not sitting extremely close to me but it's close enough that I tuck my feet up under me so he doesn't sit on them.

He sighs again. "A fucking nightmare," he says. Then he seems to regain some of his composure and says, "Sorry. It was long and boring and full of clingy women and political bullshit." Try as he might, he just can't seem to stop cursing. Not that I mind. I notice that his accent is much more pronounced right now and he smells a little bit like alcohol. I wonder if he's drunk. He's at least buzzed.

"I'm sorry you had a shitty night," I say so that he doesn't feel so bad about cursing. I really don't mind, although I rarely do it. I silently wonder about these "clingy women."

He flashes me a smile that I can make out by the light of the hall. "The night seems to be getting better right now," he says and I don't know what to say to that. Is he flirting with me? It seems to be his new favorite pastime but I thought we weren't doing this. He must be drunk.

"Eric, how much did you drink tonight?" I ask him. Not that I'm scared he would do anything but I just don't want him to regret anything tomorrow.

"A little. Well, more than a little but I'm not drunk. I'm a big guy, I could drink all night and not be drunk."

Well, I'm sure that's not true but I guess he doesn't seem drunk. He's definitely feeling fine though.

"So, was the food good at least?" I know he likes to eat so this seems like a good question to change his weird mood.

"Eh," he says and looks pointedly at me, "I've had better." Well, shoot.

I don't say anything because I'm not _really_ sure what he's talking about.

"I don't know what it is about these women, Sookie. I don't act interested. I am _not_ interested but they just won't leave me alone. Do you know how hard it is to carry on a business conversation with an executive who won't stop brushing your thigh? It's fucking awkward as hell!" Did he read my mind about the clingy women?

I try not to laugh because he's serious but he is so adorably flustered. I smile at him. "Eric, you're a good looking man. They want you. That's what it is."

That was probably overstepping some boundaries, huh? I never know when to stop talking. It's like a theme with me lately. He just looks at me and it's like I can see the wheels turning in his head.

"Sookie, did I ever tell you about Annika's mother?" That is not what I thought he was thinking about. He sounds sad and as much as I don't want him to regret confiding in me, I also think that maybe he needs to talk about it.

"No, you never did," I say gently.

He sighs for the third time tonight and every time he does it, it's like my insides clench. It's just such a sad sound and I don't like it coming from him. He drops his head into his hands for a second. He's killing me.

"We were together for three years, three fucking years, when she found out she was pregnant. She threw away three years and the best fucking baby girl in the world because she wasn't ready. She wasn't fucking ready!" His voice is getting louder and his accent heavier as he is getting more upset. I don't know what to say to him.

"Sophie. Her name is Sophie. I hate her. I fucking hate her! I loved her so much. She didn't want me." Ah. His voice breaks and I am so afraid he's going to cry but after a second he seems to pull himself together.

"I would have done anything for her. I wanted to marry her when she told me she was pregnant. Hell, I wanted to marry her before that. But she wasn't ready. A baby didn't fit into the life she had planned for herself." He says this last part in a way that makes me think he's quoting her. My heart is breaking for him. His voice is so bitter, his eyes are shiny with unshed tears, and his face is etched with hurt and anger. I hate that she does this to his beautiful face. I hate what she did to this beautiful man.

"She had Annika, gave her to me, and then she fucking left her. She left us. What kind of a cold-hearted fucking bitch just leaves her baby?" He's getting really agitated now and I think he's going to wake up Annika, which I know he would be upset about, so I try to think of something to calm him down.

I have the urge to throw my arms around him but I don't think that would help. He just seems so broken right now, though. Instead, I scoot up next to him and give his hand a squeeze while I run my other hand up and down his back. He lifts his head to look at me. It's like time stops when he looks into my eyes and I can feel my breath quickening. His mouth opens slightly and he leans very slightly forward. Is he going to kiss me again? I really really want him to but I know we shouldn't especially after our talk today. So before he can lean in more, I lean into him. Only instead of his mouth, I kiss his cheek softly and then just kind of stay there, with my cheek against his. It's a sort of half hug since my hand is still on his back. He's breathing in my ear. His breath is shaky and I can see that he doesn't know what to do with his hands. They hover towards me but then he drops them. He drops his head against my shoulder for a very brief second before he stands abruptly and walks quickly to the door. Shoot! Did I just make things worse? I probably shouldn't have done that. Maybe he wasn't going to kiss me anyway.

He's at the door and he stops briefly to say goodnight but he doesn't even turn around to look at me. I feel like an ass.

I get back under the covers with a sigh and close my eyes to try to sleep. I know it's going to take me a while because I will keep thinking. I always think too much while I'm laying in bed trying to sleep. I again lay there dreading tomorrow. He's not drunk so he's going to remember everything he said to me and I hope he doesn't regret what he told me. I don't know how he's going to act around me. I shouldn't have let him talk about Annika's mom. I hope he will just pretend nothing happened because that's what I plan to do. Just like today. Denial. It's quickly becoming my constant companion.

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**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter even though it's lemon free. And I guess nobody thought Sookie was naked the night before. Maybe I just have my mind in the gutter. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is chapter seven. It starts the morning after the last chapter and this is Eric's pov. It's Friday morning and the conference ends this morning. I hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own these guys. They belong to Charlaine Harris and part of the fun of putting them in an alternate universe is that I can make them the polar opposite of hers in some ways. **

**Formatting is being all wonky on ff so if this looks weird, I apologize.**

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I wake up and look around for Annika before I remember she's in Sookie's room. Just like I was last night. Shit. That was a stupid move on my part to sit and talk with her like that. I told her way more than I should have. She didn't need to know all my fucking baggage. What is it about her that makes me want to spill my fucking guts? Talking in the dark makes it way too easy to over share. That, and Sookie is just easy to talk to. Everything I throw at her, she catches. Every time I think I will get one reaction from her I get another. Something unexpected- that's what she is. After so many boring months I have come to like the unexpected. I like this girl. Shit, I really fucking like her.

I realize I only have two weeks left with her. That thought makes me simultaneously sad and relieved. Sad, because well, I like her. But relieved because it's hard to behave around her. _I_ can behave, but sometimes my dick has other ideas. Like all this twitching he's been doing and the hard-ons when she blushes. The more I'm around this girl, the less control I have over what happens in my pants. I'm like a teenager with an uncontrollable hard-on for half the day. Shit, the thought of being a teenager again makes me shudder. No fucking way.

I head over to the counter to make some coffee and I look out the window and see a bunch of snow falling. What the fuck? Since when is it supposed to snow? I check the weather forecast because our flight home leaves this afternoon after my morning meeting. We need to be checked out of the hotel by noon. Shit! Apparently Mother Nature decided to shit on my return plans and keep me locked up with Sookie for another day. Just what I need when I'm trying to control myself around her. I look up my flight just in case someone up there likes me and the airport is still open. Well, apparently the gods hate me because our flight has indeed been cancelled. Fuck! I call the front desk to let them know we will need our room for at least one more night.

"I'm sorry Mr. Northman, it looks like that room is booked for tonight. We have a wedding party coming in and most of the hotel is booked. I do have a one bedroom suite available. Will that be acceptable?"

Are you fucking kidding? Hell no! "How many beds?" I say gruffly.

"Pardon me?"

"How many beds does the room have?" I try to make my voice sound calmer.

"Oh! Two double beds in the room. One pull out couch in the sitting area. Would that be acceptable sir?"

"Yes. Fine." I guess I'll take the sofa bed.

"Shall I have a valet come to help you move your baggage sir?"

"Uh, yes. But give me an hour. My daughter is still asleep."

"Sure thing, sir. Thank you. Please let me know if you need _anything_ else." She says these last words with a purr and I wonder if she's one of the women who made a spectacle of themselves when I checked in. It's seriously unattractive to be so desperate.

"No, that will be all," I say quickly and hang up.

Shit! I want to scream it as I pace the floor, but I can't with Sookie and Annika in the next room. Goddamn fucking shit! I'm about to lose my fucking mind on this trip with Sookie and now I have to spend another night in even closer proximity to her.

"Eric what's wrong?"

I whip around to face Sookie. She must have come out without me hearing. Fuck!

"Snowstorm," I grit out. "We're fucking stuck here."

Sookie goes to the window to look out and says, without turning around, "It's so beautiful when it's falling isn't it? Look how big these flakes are. They're so fluffy!"

What? I don't understand this girl. I am seething mad and on the verge of a man tantrum and she's excited about the damn snowflakes. I blow out a big breath I didn't know I was holding and I start to relax a bit. How is she so good at calming the beast?

"You don't do so well with unexpected changes do you? When things don't go according to plan?" she says, turning to look right at me.

"Uh, I guess not," I answer, slightly embarrassed that this girl has my number so quickly. At this point, she knows way too much about me. And none of the good things.

She smiles at me and I want to run to her and bury my face in her neck like it was last night so she can make me feel better again. "It's just one more day, right? We'll go home tomorrow? It'll be okay. We have extras for the baby and we can order movies and relax tonight," she says like she's happy at the prospect.

"I guess," I say. I'm unconvinced that tonight will be so relaxing. At least it seems like she's not bothered by last night's pathetic confession. "I called the front desk and we can't stay in this room, though. They're giving us another room but it's smaller." That was calm. I think I will be okay.

"Smaller?" She's looking slightly less happy.

"Yeah, it's a one bedroom but there is a sofa bed so I'll sleep there, don't worry. They're going to send someone to help us move our stuff in an hour. Can you pack up your stuff and I'll do Annika's and mine?"

"Don't you have a meeting soon? I can pack for you. You need to get ready. Or did they cancel it?"

"No, they didn't cancel it but you don't have to pack for me." Why is she so nice? I've never met anyone as nice as she is.

"Eric, it's fine. It's not much. And I have nothing better to do."

I don't know. Her face seems so sincere but I don't want to take advantage of her kindness. "Okay, thank you," I say finally.

I go to pour myself another cup of coffee. I will need it today. "Do you want some coffee? I made some," I tell her.

"Oh, no. I don't drink coffee. Thank you," she says. She doesn't drink coffee? Wow, that's weird. She's in college. I thought they all drank coffee.

"Really? It's like my lifeblood, I can't get along without it," I tell her seriously. "I would mainline it if I could!"

She laughs and says she never liked it all that much but will sometimes drink it with lots of cream and sugar.

Annika wakes up so she goes to get her while I get ready for my morning meeting. When I finish my shower I have to walk to my room in a towel again. Okay, I don't really but I don't enjoy getting dressed in a steamy bathroom and I don't have a robe. I try to hurry across the room but I know from her soft gasp that she sees me. She can't help it, she's right across from me feeding Annika. At least I'm not all wet this time? Although, it was really fun to see how flustered she got. Especially when I walked up to her to kiss Anni. Just another example of why I'm a trouble maker.

I have another sweater to wear this morning. This one is light blue and I think it looks pretty good on me. I hope Sookie will eyefuck me again because I liked it. Sometimes it's fun to be a piece of meat when you like the person who wants to devour you. And I meant what I said about liking her blush when she gets embarrassed. I just guess I shouldn't have told her that.

I get dressed and walk out to see Sookie feeding Annika some Cheerios and oatmeal. The sight before me is bittersweet. It looks so familial. As if we all live together and this is a normal occurrence. It makes my heart stutter at the thought. It might be a good thing that she'll be leaving soon because I can see myself getting attached to her. It's better she leaves than I start to fall...no. Not going there.

When I come out, Sookie tells me that she packed up Annika's food and that there is leftover pizza if I want some. Cold pizza for breakfast is one of my favorite things! I devour two pieces before I notice her looking at me with a smile.

"What?" I say. Why is she staring at me?

"Nothing," she says. "It's just nice to see you happy."

"Pizza," I say stupidly, holding up my next slice.

"You're such a guy," she says laughing as she walks away with Annika.

I could show her further evidence of that... See? Trouble.

"So, the valet should be here in a few minutes and I need to leave for my meeting now. Are you sure you can handle the packing?"

"Yeah, Eric. It's fine," she says.

"Okay, thank you. I should be done by lunch and I can pick up something to eat on my way back. What do you feel like eating?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Surprise me," she says with a bright smile. I doubt she wants what I would like to surprise her with.

I smile back and say, "You got it!"

Once again, I'm sitting in my meeting barely paying attention. Once again, I can't stop thinking about Sookie. I don't know what to do. I want her. Goddamn, do I want her. But it's been so long since I've been with a woman and even longer since I've been with a woman who I like. And the last one didn't exactly turn out ideally. That fucking relationship turned into shit and I'd regret it except it gave me my Anni. It's Annika that I'm thinking about when I restrain myself from going after Sookie. I really like Sookie but it's scary to think about being in a relationship. I don't think Sookie is the kind of woman I could fuck once and then leave. She's too good for that.

Finally, my meeting is over and I hurry to get some food. The snow is really coming down. It must have accumulated three or four inches during the three hour meeting. I go to the front desk to ask about my new room and the woman behind the desk is way too eager to help me. Ick.

I go up to the room with a bunch of food from The National, which is around the corner. I start to set it all out on the table and Sookie comes to see what I got.

My attention is on the food I'm putting out so I don't realize she is so close to me until I see her reach for me. She brushes her hand through my hair and it makes me shiver. I have goosebumps all over. What the fuck? And why did she do that? I look at her, surprised by both her action and my reaction. She looks embarrassed.

"Snow in your hair," she says quietly with a shy smile. We are still staring at each other until she eventually drops her eyes and steps back from me and I feel like I can breathe again. Huh, I didn't realize my lungs had stopped working.

"Ok," I say, pointing to each item on the table, "Burger, pulled chicken sandwich, Caesar salad, fries, and macaroni and cheese."

She's looking at me like I'm crazy. I smile and shrug. "I didn't know what you'd want."

She smiles and takes the chicken sandwich. She opens the container and adds half the salad, and some fries. "Thank you!" she says. "This all looks really good. Do you think Annika can have some mac and cheese? I think she could eat it. She does great with the Cheerios."

Annika? Eating macaroni and cheese? I must look really uncomfortable because she squeezes my arm and says, "How about we just give her one piece and see how she does?" She's talking to me like I'm a skittish animal. Am I that pathetic?

"Okay," I say, not feeling very brave about this whole thing. This is my baby girl and it's freaking me the fuck out.

Sookie picks up Annika and sits her in the little travel seat at the table. She gets a little of the macaroni out of the container and cuts it up a little with the spoon. "I'm gonna put some on the table and she can pick it up."

I'm watching really closely and my heart is in my throat. God, does every parent feel this way or am I just crazy? Looking at Sookie, who is so calm about this all, makes me think I am crazy.

She looks at my face and comes over to me. "Hey," she says, putting her hand on my chest. "She doesn't have to have any. Are you freaking out?" The sincerity in her eyes is surprising. I'd be making fun of me because I know I'm acting like a fool.

"No, no," I say. "Give her some. I can't keep her from feeding herself because I'm an uptight idiot."

"Eric, you are not an idiot!" She's looking at me like she's mad at me but in the next second her face softens and she grins at me. "Uptight, maaaybe a little," she says with a wink. In the next instant she's serious and I feel like I'm going to get whiplash from her mood changes. "You are a good dad, Eric," she says sincerely, "And if you don't want her to have it, that's fine. It's just for practice at this point anyway."

I think I'm doing alright at this Dad thing- I'm not failing- and it's nice to hear someone else thinks so too. I'm pretty sure I'm beaming an obnoxious smile at her. "Let's see how she does," I say. Now it's her turn to beam at me.

She puts the food in front of Annika and we both laugh as Annika picks it up and drops it right onto the floor.

"Well, so much for that," Sookie says, still laughing.

"Anni," I say as I scoop her up and fly her above my head, "Min lilla docka, I love you!" She puts her cheese covered fingers in my mouth and laughs when I pretend to eat her up.

"What was that you said?" Sookie asks. "Was that Swedish?"

"Yeah, I called her my little doll. I speak to her in Swedish sometimes. I would love her to be bilingual but I'm not sure how that will happen if she's never around any other Swedes."

"Well, if you speak to her in mostly Swedish, she will pick it up fast. She's at the age right now when they start to be more in tune with the languages they've heard already. So if you want her to be able to speak it one day, you should start now."

"Language acquisition, right?" That's the course she told me she took. This girl is smart.

"Yup! How often do you make it make to Sweden?" she asks. I should have known this topic would bring us around to this question.

"Uh, not often," I answer, "Not for several years."

"Oh," she says and I hope she will drop it but of course, she doesn't. "Did your family come here to see Annika when she was born?"

"They've never met her," I say.

She looks at me for what seems like an eternity before she smiles and sits down to eat her lunch.

I sit Annika back in her seat and go to get a change of clothes. I find my suitcase in the bedroom and get out some dark jeans and a black t-shirt. These are the clothes I would wear all the time if I didn't have to dress up for work. I tell Sookie I'm changing clothes as I walk to the bathroom.

I come back to the table and she is still eating. I've never been so happy for food to stuff in my mouth so I don't have to talk anymore. I told her enough about the shitty parts of my life last night. She doesn't need to think I'm even more pathetic. She's being really quiet, though, which worries me. She probably can't understand why someone wouldn't see their family in years. Well, I'm not spilling that right now.

So we keep eating and the only sound is the occasional humming of Annika as she eats her Cheerios and whatever Sookie is feeding her. The girl likes food and sometimes she hums her approval of something particularly good. I look over at her and smile every time she does it.

"You do that too, you know," says Sookie with a big smile on her face. I do what too? I look up at her, confused, and she explains. "You hum when you eat sometimes. Like this morning with the pizza." Her smile is huge.

"Are you making fun of me?" I say with mock outrage.

She laughs, "No, it's cute!"

"Well, at least I don't sound like I'm having sex at the table," I say and then immediately regret it.

She's still laughing, which I'm grateful for. "What?" she says.

"You, uh, moan. A lot."

She stops laughing and turns red and I feel bad for making her uncomfortable. Shit, subject change. What can I talk about?

"So, what should we do this afternoon?" I say, with more enthusiasm than this topic deserves. "It's snowing too hard to go outside so we're stuck here."

We end up spending the afternoon playing with Annika and playing cards after she goes down for her afternoon nap. The conversation flows really nicely again. We decide to get dinner from the hotel restaurant since the snow is still coming down. Sookie eats really quietly and I once again regret saying anything about her noises. I kind of miss her moans. They were fun.

After dinner, I bathe Annika and I don't notice until I turn around when were finished, that Sookie has been watching us. She smiles but doesn't say anything. She has a weird, far away look on her face and I want to ask her what she's thinking but I don't.

I give Annika her last bottle and she falls asleep for the night. When I come out to the living room, Sookie is watching tv so I sit next to her on the couch. She turns her body towards me and asks what I want to watch. I know we have to talk about last night but I'm not sure how to bring it up. I'm stumbling all over my words as I say, "I, uh...do you want to...um..."

She stops me with a hand on my knee. I look down at her hand, where warmth is now spreading through me.

"Can I tell you about my ex-boyfriend, Bill? Then we'll be even with the crappy ex stories," she says softly.

Oh. Did she read my racing mind? I look up at her face. "Okay," I say, trying to keep my apprehension out of my voice.

She takes a deep breath. "I met Bill during my freshman year. He's from the South too and that initially brought us together. I missed home and his accent was familiar and comforting. He was such a gentleman, so kind and considerate. We started dating about halfway through the year. At first, things were so good between us. He never took things too far, he was patient with me. I was a..." She looks very uncomfortable. She was a what? Oh!

"I understand," I say, so she doesn't have to be embarrassed saying the actual word.

She looks relieved and smiles at me. "Right," she says, "So he was a perfect gentleman. The first year, things were good with us until summer vacation came. We made plans to see each other over the break but he always had some excuse to cancel our plans. I didn't think anything of it. God, I was stupid."

I want to contradict her and tell her she's in no way stupid but she doesn't give me the chance.

"So we got back to school the next year and things were ok. He's a Phi Delt, you know, a fraternity guy? Well, most of the frats are across the river in Boston so he didn't live on campus after freshman year. He seemed so happy to see me after the summer and I felt like we should take our relationship to the next level."

I wince and clench my hands, I can't help it. I don't like where this is going. I know this story will not end well and the thought of her giving her innocence to a creep like this has me seeing red.

She looks down at my fisted hand and puts her hand softly over mine as if it's me that needs the comfort. Well, maybe I do.

"Since he lived in the frat house, it took more effort to see each other. He got kinda weird, always wanting to know exactly when I'd be coming to see him. Like, it couldn't be vague at all, which looking back, was pretty suspicious. At the time, I didn't think so." She makes a derisive noise and the fact that it's directed towards herself makes me unbelievably angry at this Bill fucker.

I unclench my fist so that I can hold her hand properly. She gives me a grateful smile and I'm glad I can make her feel a little better.

"He started insisting that he call a cab for me to and from his house, saying it was safer for me, but now I know it was so he'd know exactly when I was coming and going."

Oh, the cabs. Now that makes sense. Shit. I wish I knew that.

"His frat is actually full of really nice guys and I guess some of them knew what he was up to because his roommate finally told me that Bill was cheating on me. He met some girl named Lorena that went to Northeastern and when that ended he was fucking everyone he could find. Like five people, Eric! Oh my God, I was such a fool."

She closes her eyes and lays her head back against the couch with a sigh. I can feel my heart beating wildly as a wave of adrenaline sweeps through my body. I want to fucking murder this guy. Who the hell would cheat on this beautiful person? I try to calm down so that I don't make this about me but holy shit, if I ever cross paths with this fuckhead, I will kill him. I look over at Sookie, whose head is still back.

Oh, shit, she's crying. Shit, what do I do? I'm so bad at this. I don't know what else to do so I do the only thing my instincts are telling me. I scoot close to Sookie and put my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. She stiffens for a second but then seems to relax against me. I want to smooth my hands over her hair and whisper to her but I don't. I just hold her, feeling her warm breath fan over my chest, until she makes a move to sit back up and I reluctantly let her go.

"Thanks," she mumbles with red rimmed eyes and wet cheeks. "I didn't think I'd still be crying over this."

I reach my hand out to wipe away her tears but she makes a noise and I put my hand down.

"He hurt you. It's okay to cry when someone hurts you. You deserve so much better, Sookie," I say softly. I know all about hurting at the hands of someone you should have been able to trust. I know this hurt much too well.

Sookie sits up and wipes her face, "I'm sorry for being a downer. Let's do something happy!"

She looks happy now but it takes me a while longer to switch gears. "Like what?" I say.

"Well, let's order something!" She looks mischievous and says, "Wine and ice cream?"

She's grinning at me and I can't help but smile back. I'm not so sure about drinking around Sookie but I want her to keep smiling so I say, "Sure! What kind?"

"You pick the wine, I'll pick the ice cream?"

"Red or white?" I ask.

"White."

I look at the wine menu and choose a Riesling and she chooses one chocolate sundae with bananas and one strawberry sundae with caramel sauce.

She goes to change into her pajamas while I order, and comes out in a flannel set that makes her look completely adorable and outrageously sexy all at once. How is that possible?

When the ice cream gets here she grabs them both and two spoons and tells me we're sharing both because she wants some of each. I open the wine and pour us each a glass.

We sit back on the couch and she flips through the HBO movies available. I think she wants my input on the movies but the only thing I can think of is the length of her thigh that's pressed against mine. She sat down very close to me and I can't concentrate on anything else. I finally will my body to relax as she says my name again.

"Earth to Eric," she says playfully, "Is this okay?"

I look up at the screen and see that she wants to watch Kick Ass, which is great because it's funny and action packed with no awkward love scenes. "That's great," I say. Seriously surprising, this girl.

The movie is halfway over and the ice cream is gone. She tried to stay quiet while she ate it but it must have been really good chocolate because every time she took a bite of that one, my pants got a little tighter. I really hope she didn't notice. She did ask if I was okay once because I kept shifting around but I don't think she knew why.

I go to pour my second glass of wine and find that the bottle is almost empty. Which means Sookie drank the rest. I look over at her but she seems fine. She must have drank three-quarters of the bottle and given her size, she has to have quite the buzz right now. Hmm, this might be interesting.

The only difference I notice is that she is laughing a whole lot and she sounds extremely Southern when she speaks. She's telling me some story about her brother, Jason, when he was in high school. She seems to have forgotten about the movie which is fine. I'd rather listen to her. She's laughing about something stupid Jason did and even though I can barely understand her between her laughter and her accent, I can't help but laugh with her. She is entirely captivating. Everything about her draws me in.

When she stops laughing she goes back to watching the movie so I do too. The movie is winding down when I feel her head fall against my arm. I look down and she's asleep. I don't know how long I sit there, just enjoying the feel of her but when I look up, the movie is over and the credits have rolled.

I reluctantly tap Sookie's should to wake her up. She sits up quickly and apologizes for falling asleep on me.

"It's okay," I say with a smile. It was definitely okay.

She yawns and stretches and I try not to stare at the enticing curve of her back as she reaches her arms up.

"Do you want to sleep with me," she says. My eyes find hers instantly. What?

She turns redder than I've ever seen her before. Can you die from a bad case of blush because if so, she's dangerously close to it.

"Oh! No! No, no, no! I meant do you want the other bed in there?" My eyes, which have been staring into hers, drop to her wringing hands. Did I look too eager at her perceived suggestion?

She continues, "It has to be more comfortable than the couch. And you're so big- tall! So I thought you might want to...it's fine, right? We can...? Eric, say something!"

I'm searching for something to say. All my nice words have left my brain at the moment. Finally I say, "Thank you. Yes, I think I would be more comfortable on a real bed." No matter how tortured I will feel sleeping across from her.

She's already dressed for bed so I go into the bathroom and put on a tank top and flannel pants. When I come back out she seems to be staring at my arms. Is a tank top bad form?

We walk into the bedroom together awkwardly but she surprises me by pulling me into a hug. Her arms go around my waist and her chest is pressed against me and I'm trying my best not to get hard but there is just such a nice soft place for my dick against her stomach. I can feel it beginning to stir so I end the hug because I don't want to freak her out. God, she felt good in my arms.

"Thanks for being a good listener," she says as she gets into her bed.

"Sure," I say, watching as she settles under her covers.

I say goodnight as I climb into bed and under my covers. I usually sleep with much less on, and with the tightly tucked sheets, I am not very comfortable but this will have to do with Sookie right across from me.

I lay in the quiet darkness, thinking over the day. It was really fun spending so much time with Sookie. I almost regret that we have to go home tomorrow. It was nice having her company even if it was agonizing at times. I like her a lot. Two more weeks is not enough for me. So, the question is, what am I going to do about it?

I can hear her breathing and her sheets rustling every time she moves and I want so badly to cross the distance between our beds. I want to climb into her bed and put my arms around her. Not even to have sex, although that would be nice. Well, more than nice, but right now I just want to put my face in her hair and breathe her in while I fall asleep. God, where the fuck are my balls? They must be over in her bed with her because they are definitely no longer attached to my body. I listen as her breath evens out and I fall asleep matching my breathing to the cadence of hers. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sookie told him about Bill and Eric would like to kill him! I haven't decided if their paths should cross yet. **

**Thank you for all the alerts on this story and most especially for all the reviews. I love to read what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's chapter 8 for you wonderful readers. It starts with Eric's pov. This is the last day of their trip. It's Saturday morning.** xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ERIC

She crawls over to me on the bed, waking me. She's straddling my hips as she looks down into my face. What the...?

"Let's just do this, Eric," she says. "We both want each other. We are both adults. Why should we deny ourselves?"

She has a point. Why are we dancing around this? We both want to fuck each other.

I answer her by reaching up and pulling her down to my mouth. I lick her top lip and she opens for me. My tongue dives inside to duel with hers. With my hands on her waist, I pull her down to the bed and crawl on top of her. I kiss her again and trail my mouth across her jaw and down the soft skin of her neck, inhaling her scent as I go. I unbutton her shirt one torturous button at a time starting from the bottom. By the time I get to the last one she is panting and I'm close to it. I throw open her pajama shirt, at last revealing her gorgeous breasts.

Her tits are perfect. Big and round, with perfect pink nipples. I lean down and lick from one side of her breasts to the other, making sure my tongue runs over each nipple. She arches her back into me. She likes this. I concentrate on one nipple as I suck it into my mouth. I flick my tongue over it and reach down under her pajama pants. I love pajama pants because they are stretchy and I can fit my giant hands into them. I slide my hand over her panties and I can feel how wet she is underneath them. My chest rumbles with a growl of appreciation for just how fucking wet she is. I rub her clit over the soaked fabric and move on to her other nipple, paying it the same attention. Her hips are rocking, she wants more. I remove my hand from her pants and pull them off of her. I lean over her to kiss her again because I can't get enough of her lips. To show her how much I want her, I rub my dick over her hip and across her stomach.

"Sookie, I'm going to make you scream," I whisper into her ear. It's true. She whimpers in response. She wants me just as much as I want her.

She reaches up and yanks at my shirt and I help her by taking it off. "Take off your pants," she demands. I cock my eyebrow at her. "Please?" she implores.

"Please? You going to beg?" She just looks at me and blushes, which only makes her look more edible.

I move over her and lean down to her ear, nipping it as I ask, "Do you want my dick?" On the word dick, I rock my hips into her so that she cannot mistake _my_ wanting.

She is still silent, except for her heavy breathing, so I make a move to get off of her and say, "Well, I guess not." She stops me like I knew she would.

"No!" she says hurriedly. "I want it. I want you."

I grin at her. "I thought so," I say. "How do you want me?"

I don't think Sookie is very versed in dirty talking during sex. I will have to teach her. That won't be a problem.

I slowly slide her panties down her legs, kissing down one leg and back up the other. She is writhing underneath me and I've barely begun. I reluctantly lift my head away from her sweet center and look in her eyes.

"How about you suck me as I lick you. Have you ever done that before? A sixty-nine?" I doubt there is anything I haven't done but I think Sookie is considerably more innocent.

"Uh, no," she whispers. "But I'm game," she says with more confidence.

"Good girl," I say as I lay down, pulling off my pants. "Come sit on my face. Let me taste you."

She hesitantly straddles me reverse cowgirl and backs up until she's sitting on my chest. I can feel the heat coming off her center. I can't wait any longer to taste her so I grab her hips and pull her back to my waiting mouth. She gasps when my tongue comes into contact with her slick folds. She is so fucking wet.

"Mmm," I purr against her clit, making her moan. "You are very wet. Do you like this?"

She moans in answer and I continue to lick her in long slow strokes across her entire slit. Soon her hips start to buck and I have to hold her steady.

"Sookie, did you forget what you were supposed to be doing?" I'll admit I almost did. She tastes so fucking good I almost didn't notice that she is nowhere near my dick. I thrust my hips at her so she knows what I want. I angle her hips so that she can lay down along my torso and reach my dick.

"Suck me, Sookie. I want to feel those pretty red lips wrapped around my cock."

"Yes, sir," she says playfully. Sir? Holy shit, this girl. She's going to make me cum before she even touches me.

She slides her hand along my hip and wraps it around the base of my dick. She stretches forward but she can only reach halfway since I am keeping her firmly within reach of my mouth. She tries to stretch further but I pull her back.

"No! You're not going anywhere. Just suck what you can reach and stroke me with your hand. Ah, like that," I say when she does what I instruct.

Shit. Her hot tongue on my throbbing dick feels so fucking good. She's got me halfway down her throat, which is all she'd be able to take anyway. I'm too big for most women to deep throat.

"Fuck, Sookie! Keep going. That's good, lover."

Her mouth is occupied so she doesn't speak.

I've been talking too much and not licking enough. I get back to my task as I suck her clit into my mouth and flick my tongue over it. Her hips buck and she rubs herself all over my mouth. This is what I love about having a girl on my face. By the time she's done my face will be wet all over with her cum. The best fucking feeling in the world.

She's moaning around my dick and it feels amazing. If she keeps it up I'm going to cum so hard. By the way she's rocking her hips, I think she might be close to her finish, too. I open my mouth and capture her entire heated area between my lips, swirling my tongue around and around her clit and her lips. Her muffled moaning gets louder and more frantic. Good. I'm almost ready to cum and she can climax with me. Her hand that's pumping along my shaft speeds up and she twists her hand as she strokes which makes my balls tighten. Everything is so warm and wet and she smells so good and I'm so close. I remove my face from her clit for a second to warn her because I don't know if she swallows.

"Sookie...gonna cum," I pant.

She doesn't move away. She just moans and twirls her tongue along the ridge between my head and shaft.

Holy fucking christ that's good. I have that feeling low in my belly that means I'm about to explode. I start to thrust my hips, I can't help it. I don't want to gag her but I'm pretty much out of my mind with how good this feels. She's doing well anyway. She has her hand on me so she won't gag.

Her hips have become so frantic she's basically fucking herself on my eager tongue. Along with her hips her hand moves along my shaft with quickening strokes and the moaning she's doing is making the sweetest vibrations on my dick. I'm going to fucking explode any second.

I wrap my lips around her clit and hold her hips steady so I can suck on her. She gasps and cries out and I can feel her spasms on my lips. She moves her mouth off of me as she cums, and pumps her hand up and down the whole length of my dick. When her hand gets to the head, I shudder and cum so hard I see stars. She's still moaning with her orgasm so as the last of my spasms wrack my body, I lick everything that she just gave me as she came. She is fucking delicious and I can't get enough of her. I could lick her all day long and I would if she would let me.

"Eric," she says, still breathing hard. She starts to climb off but I hold her to my mouth and keep licking.

"Too much, Eric. Please...too much," she's panting and wriggling and I think maybe she'd cum again but I let go of her with one final sweep of my tongue along her folds.

"Sookie, you are amazing. That was amazing," I say as I pull her down to spoon with me. I'm the big spoon obviously. I'm still not totally recovered from that mind blowing orgasm and I'm taking in big gulps of air to calm myself.

She holds up her hand, which is covered in my cum, and asks, "And what do you want me to do with this?" Cheeky.

I grab the sheet and her hand and wipe her off. She seems to think that was a gross thing to do.

"I'm sure hotel cleaners are used to dirty sheets, Sookie," I say as I nuzzle my face into her neck. The feel of her naked ass against my dick is making me hard again and I rub myself over her. "How about we try to make them even dirtier?"

In answer, she reaches back and grabs my ass, pulling me against her. Fuck yes!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx SOOKIE

He's having a sex dream. Eric is having a sex dream and I'm in the room! Oh god! Do I leave? I should leave... I don't want to leave. I want to watch him.

I was woken by soft whimpering, which I thought was Annika. But a quick listen told me differently. I looked to the source of the noise and found Eric.

I'm looking at him now- sprawled on his stomach, shirtless, sheets twisted around him, hands fisted at his sides. A light sheen of sweat covers his body. He's making little noises every once in a while and his brow is furrowed as if he's concentrating. I really want to know what he's dreaming. I would love a peak inside his head.

He rolls to his back and the sheet smoothes out over him. Oh. My. God. Now I understand why it's called "pitching a tent." This tent could sleep six people! I don't even see how he could have been laying on top of this thing. Was this what was trapped in his pants? Ouch. I have the appalling thought that I wish I could go peak under the sheet. That would be really bad, right? I shouldn't do it. Given another few seconds, I might have done just that but Eric moves suddenly and I am not about to be caught staring when he wakes up.

I walk quickly to the living room and shut the bedroom door. Maybe I shouldn't have asked him to share the room with me. I was groggy when I asked and it came out all wrong. So embarrassingly wrong. I think my whole body blushed. I don't think I mistook the surprise and desire in his eyes, though. Definitely desire.

Annika is still asleep and I don't want to wake her up but it's too silent in here. I can still hear Eric's little noises and I do not want to hear the big finish if that happens. I remember washing Jason's sheets but he was a teenager and honestly, with his behavior, I can't even be sure it was all him on those dirty sheets. Does the same thing happen to grown men? I do not want to be there to find out!

I'm checking my phone to distract myself when I hear a sound like Eric is getting out of bed. He walks out a few minutes later wearing gym shorts and the same tank top that mysteriously disappeared from his body in the night. Damn does he look good in gym shorts.

He walks right to the bathroom without a word and comes out in a while with his hair combed and wet. "I'm going to the hotel gym," he says quickly before walking out the door in a hurry. I stare after him wondering what his problem is. Maybe he's embarrassed about having a dirty dream with me in the room. It's not like he can control what his sleeping mind does. He doesn't have to worry that I'll bring it up because that's never going to happen.

There is still about a half an hour until Annika should wake so I shower and dress. When she wakes up, I feed and dress her. Eric is still not back and it's been an hour. I wonder how long he usually works out for. Annika seems bored and crabby so we go to the hotel lobby in search of the gym.

We find Eric at the weight machine. He's doing that exercise where you pull the bar down behind your head. I don't know much about weight machines so I'm not sure what it's called. I do know that Eric's arms look ridiculously good right now. I think I can see every vein and every muscle of his glorious arms and shoulders. His body is glistening and as I'm standing here I have this vision of licking all the sweat from his body. Man, that's so gross but holy hell, I would do it to him in a heartbeat! He has sweat dripping down his neck, reminding me of when I saw the drop of water in that same spot. I wanted to lick him then too. Something about his neck just calls out to my tongue I guess. Really, his whole body is porn. If I had him on video I'd rewatch it all day long.

Annika and I are just standing in the doorway of the gym looking at him. Well, I'm staring at him. I don't think he notices us because he's still pulling that bar down and making his muscles flex so deliciously at me. He makes a little grunt and his stomach muscles tighten with every pull and it is intoxicating.

"Da da!" Annika says loudly to Eric, effectively breaking my lust filled stupor.

Eric's head shoots up as his eyes zero in on us. He breaks into a huge grin and jumps up, letting the bar fly up and the weight stack clang together with a startling crash. He crosses the room to us with long quick strides and throws his arms around both me and Annika. What the heck is happening?

"That's the first time she called me Dada!" He says with so much excitement in his voice that I can't help but laugh. He takes Annika from me and swings her around. They are both laughing like loons.

I smile at them, enjoying their happy moment. But what I'm thinking about is the sweat that is now on my arm and face from Eric's body as he hugged me. Nasty, right? Except my thoughts are running more to fantasies of him sweaty and on top of me, grunting like he was at the weight machine. God, what is wrong with me?

Eric stops spinning Annika around and looks at me, still smiling. "What are you doing here?" he asks.

"Annika was bored?" I say it more like a question and he just chuckles at me.

"Oh, really?" he says like he doesn't believe me, "Well, I'm done so I'll come back up with you."

We step into the elevator and instead of him smelling bad because he's been sweating for the last hour, his scent that surrounds me in the small space, makes my knees weak. He smells divine. Like some heavenly combination of soap and musk and sex and I think again how I want to run my tongue over his entire body. My eyes are closed when he says my name in his deep voice.

"Mmm?" I say, eyes still closed. Can you get drunk on the scent of someone?

"We're at our floor," he says with amusement in his voice.

I open my eyes and he is standing literally six inches from me. Well inside my personal bubble. I would back up if I wasn't already at the wall.

"You're so sweaty," I say without thinking. I say it the way a normal person would profess their love for someone- like a dreamy sigh.

"I am," he says in his silky baritone, his eyes twinkling.

I'm inching ever closer to his gleaming chest, which is at my eye level. Just a I register, with some shock, what I am doing, Annika starts screeching and I pull back, alarmed at my lack of control. Man, I have problems. Mustn't lick the boss! Do I really have to tell myself that? Apparently so. I walk quickly out of the elevator and my head clears along with his strong scent.

As soon as we are back in our room, he hands Annika to me with a grin and goes to take a shower.

Our flight leaves at one o'clock, and we need to eat breakfast and pack. I start on the packing as he's washing off all that delicious sweat from his body. Okay, imagining him in the shower is not the way to go if I want to be productive. In an effort to restrain myself from joining him in the bathroom, I think about how nice last night was with Eric. Heck, the whole day with him was completely awesome. I haven't had a better day in a long time.

The wave of fury coming from him when I told him about cheating asshole was unexpected but comforting. He was a really good listener and I'm thankful for that. Every time I tell that story, I feel a little better.

I just wish Eric would trust me enough to tell me his stories. There have to be some more. His family has never met his daughter- there is some reason for that. I know I've only known Eric for a week but it feels like much longer than that. I can't explain the connection between us. Besides the fact that every time he is within ten feet of me, I want to jump him. But there is something beyond the physical connecting us and I want to be there for him. There is a sadness in his eyes sometimes that breaks my heart and I saw that hurt when he talked about his family.

Eric comes walking out of the bathroom in his towel and even though this is the third time I've seen him this way, it doesn't fail to effect me. He is just so lovely. So tall and lithe, all that defined muscle without bulk. He has the perfect body. And his face, so utterly masculine yet so sublimely beautiful he can render me stupid with only a smile.

He comes out of the bedroom dressed in black jeans and a dark gray t- shirt with black boots. He is always so sexy. Each time he puts on a different outfit, I like it better than the last. Geez, I think I'm becoming obsessed with him. Shoot, it hits me as I watch him walk across the room to his baby, that I only have two more weeks to work for him. What am I going to do after that? How can I go back to my boring student life without him and Annika?

He turns around to look at me. "So, what do you want to do for breakfast? Is...something wrong?" he says, his eyes immediately concerned. I guess my face must betray my melancholy at the prospect of going our separate ways soon.

"Oh! No, nothing!" I say trying to sound happy. "How about we go to Upstairs again? It was good last time."

"Sure," he says picking up Annika.

"Maybe this time, you'll stay until I finish eating," I say in a teasing tone.

He turns pink and starts sputtering at me and I wink. He closes his mouth. Maybe I can understand why he said what he said to me. His blush is adorable and alluring and I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Breakfast is going well. I think Eric is a secret Olympian with the way he's carbo loading. He is a huge eater but he has a huge body to maintain. And maintain it he does...

"You must have eaten your parents out of house and home!" I say laughing. Ah, crap. Every time I say something that makes him look like this, I want to kick myself. He smiles at me but his face is not happy. I reach for his hand.

"I'm a good listener, Eric," I say quietly.

"Hmm," is his soft reply. His only reply because he pulls his hand back and resumes eating, making it clear that he will not be sharing right now.

Despite a brief silent period when Eric seems to be deep in thought, the rest of breakfast is easy and friendly without any awkwardness. When we get back to the room we both pack our things. We will be leaving for the airport in half an hour for our flight home.

The cab to the airport is silent. There is not even Annika making noise because she is asleep on Eric's chest. I don't know what he's thinking about but I'm thinking about how perfect this trip was and how much I'm going to miss hanging out with these two people all day.

After an uneventful flight home, we are standing in baggage claim at Logan Airport. Eric has been virtually silent since the plane landed and I'm a little worried that with the trip over, so is our newfound friendship.

He turns to me suddenly. "Have lunch with me?" he says with a hopeful smile on his face.

He's so cute that despite how tired I feel, I say yes.

His resulting smile is dazzling. Definitely his tv smile and it leaves me breathless. Maybe Eric is having as hard of a time as I am letting go of this trip.

We eat lunch at Legal Sea Foods since there is one in the airport. Since Eric told me that I make sex sounds while I'm eating, I have tried to be really quiet when I eat. Talk about mortifying! I was so embarrassed when he told me that. But he really did sound adorable humming through his pizza breakfast.

Lunch is over far too quickly and it's time to part ways. After an awkward half hug I get into my cab and Eric and Annika get into theirs. I can't help the feeling of longing that settles over me as my cab pulls away. As I approach my dorm I start to feel silly for how sad I feel. I've been without Eric Northman for my entire life before last week! And I'll see him Monday. I tell myself to snap out of it as I get out my luggage and trudge up to my suite. Traveling tires me out so I climb into bed and fall quickly to sleep.

Amelia pounding on my door wakes me a couple hours later. "Sookie! I know you're in there!" she yells through the door. "Open up! Tell me about your trip! Did you fu-"

I yank the door open before she can say anymore. "Hello, Amelia," I say.

"Well? How was it? Any hanky panky with the boss?" she asks, waggling her eyebrows comically. "Yes! You're blushing! What happened? You have to spill!"

I drag her into my room and shut the door. My other suite mate, Crystal can be such a gossip and I don't want her to hear what I have to say.

"There isn't a whole lot to tell. The trip was really fun. Eric was great, Annika was a doll the whole time, and even his secretary Pam seems to like me now."

"Bitch voice likes you now?" When I told Amelia how rude Pam was to me on the phone, she gave her this nickname.

"I guess she does!"

"Okay, okay, get to the good stuff," says Amelia practically bouncing on my bed. I don't know why she's salivating over my sex life. She doesn't even like dick all that much.

"Well, I sort of kissed him and had a small grope before he stopped me and we decided we should just be friends." I said this quickly and without a breath but Amelia still caught every word.

"You kissed him?! How small of a grope? Did you feel his dick? Was it huge because you said he's really tall."

"Whoa! That's a lot of questions!" I say. "Yes, I kissed him. His lips are magic. It was so so good! And yes, I felt him up- briefly! And...yes, he's proportional."

Amelia squeals and I blush and tell her that is all the detail she is getting. After trying to pry some more out of me she finally gives up and leaves me to unpack. She invites me to go clubbing but I tell her I'm too tired and will take a raincheck for next weekend. After unpacking, I do some laundry and watch some tv and then I go to bed early.

Sunday is turning out to be really boring. I have no tiny person to look after, no big person to ogle, I mean talk to. Amelia is out with Tracy and even though I usually hang out with them, today I don't feel like being a third wheel.

I'm trying to figure out what to do when I have an idea. Eric seemed to really like the food I left for him so I decide I will do one better and actually cook and eat dinner with him. Not as a date. But friends eat dinner together. Heck, I ate dinner with him in New York and it was a lot of fun.

I set out to the grocery store with a list of ingredients for boeuf bourguignon, which is just fancy beef stew. But it's hearty enough for Eric and sophisticated enough to be impressive, not to mention really freakin' good. I pick up all the things I'll need for the stew, adding an extra bottle of wine and some crusty bread to go along with it.

I'm putting the groceries in my suite fridge when Amelia comes back from lunch.

"Hey, Sook, whatcha doin'?" she says, eyeing the food I'm putting away. "What are you going to cook for me," she says smiling.

"Nothing for you," I say. "I'm going to make dinner for Eric tomorrow." I can't help my grin when I say his name.

"Really Sookie?" says Amelia. "You've got it bad!"

"I do not!" I protest.

"You do. You sure you know what you're doing? You want to get involved with a man who has a kid? Not to mention the fact that you work for him!"

"I don't plan on putting the moves on him, Amelia." Not that I even know what the moves would be. "I'm just making him dinner. I make you dinner all the time."

"Yeah but you don't want to jump in the sack with me, Sook. I hear the way you talk about him. The way you say his name." She closes her eyes and says in a high pitched breathy moan, drawing out the syllables, "Eric."

"Shut up! I do not!"

"Sure, whatever you wanna believe," she says smirking.

"And I happen to like his daughter. She's adorable and she's happy all the time."

"You want to be her stepmom don't you?" she accuses with a laugh.

"Amelia! It's just dinner."

"Uh huh," she says on the way to her room. Just before she closes her door, she says, "Sookie, that must have been a perfect trip because you've been floating on cloud nine since you got back."

It _is_ just dinner. With my incredibly attractive boss who I want to jump. Amelia was right about that. But I really don't plan for anything to happen. For the next two weeks he's my boss. Who knows what will happen after that.

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**A/N: Sooo, lemons, finally. Although this lemonade was made with sugar substitute. You didn't think Sookie would give it up that soon did you! ;) Just FYI- since this was a dream, who knows how Eric normally acts during sex. Maybe he's super shy and likes to be dominated, lol.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know. Thanks! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here is the next chapter. It starts with Eric's pov on Saturday morning. It's not as long as my usual chapters but I figure I can update more often with shorter chapters. Thanks for reading!**

ERIC xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Holy fucking shit. What the fuck is my mind trying to do to me? I wake up from a fantastically realistic dream about Sookie with the most painful hard-on I have ever had. I have nowhere to go to get some relief though honestly I'm not sure I could even touch this thing without it hurting. This trip with Sookie has been torture for my junk and right now, I'm thanking god that she is not in her bed. I try to will myself soft because I can't walk around like this and it fucking hurts. When that doesn't work, I try to imagine the nastiest things possible to get rid of my erection. It works somewhat. It's no longer painful but I am not soft. It'll have to do.

I throw on my gym shorts and my tank top because I need some sort of workout to release my frustration. I stripped my shirt off in the middle of the night when I got hot so I find it on the floor. I walk out of the bedroom and straight to the bathroom to piss, brush my teeth and comb my hair. As soon as I see Sookie, heat floods my face and I leave quickly to avoid her. Shit. Pull it together, Northman! If she knew what I just dreamed about her, she would probably kick me out of here.

I get down to the gym and decide to run on the treadmill. I run for 45 minutes because that's how long it takes me to stop replaying my dream in my head. I run hard, chasing my thoughts of Sookie away, and by the time I step off the treadmill, my legs are jelly. I use the weight machine to rest my legs and work on my arms.

I sit at the weight machine, zoned out on my rhythm of pulling the bar down and letting it go slowly back up. Suddenly I hear my baby say "Dada." Huh? My head whips around to the origin of the sound and I see Sookie standing there with Annika, who is looking right at me. I jump up and run to them, hugging them because my baby knows I'm her daddy! I never thought that would make me so excited but it does. I'm deliriously happy and I spin Annika around like a fool.

When I come down from that high, I wonder what they are doing here and I ask. Sookie says Annika was bored but the way she says it doesn't have me convinced. We walk to the elevator and Sookie sighs and leans her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. Maybe she's tired? She is so beautiful and before I know it, I am standing right in front of her. I realize the elevator stopped at our floor and neither one of us has made a move to walk out of it. I say her name and she does nothing. Her eyes are still closed and she's breathing in and out deeply. I realize that if she doesn't open her eyes and move right now, I am going to kiss her. I tell her we're at our floor loudly and she finally opens her eyes. I register her shock at my proximity but then she sighs and tells me how sweaty I am. If she had said it in another way, I might have worried that I was offensive but the dreamy way she says it makes it clear that she likes it. She is leaning slowly towards me and her heavy breathing hasn't changed. She's breathing me in and she just keeps getting closer to me. I'm frozen. I don't know what to do. What does she want? Will she touch me?

Suddenly, Annika starts screeching like a banshee and I don't know whether to be grateful for the interruption or not. Had Sookie touched me, I would have mauled her in the elevator, consequences be damned. My dream has left me primed and ready and her slightest touch will set me off. She deserves better then that, though. I need a shower. I need to calm down. How does she effect me so much?

Once I'm in the shower, I'm not sure if I should take care of myself or not. If I didn't have to share the bathroom with Sookie, I wouldn't give it a second thought. Ultimately the fact that she's already dressed and we are leaving today makes my decision. I squirt some shampoo into my palm and use it to help me stroke my aching erection. If I have to do this alone, I can at least make it good. I lean against the shower wall under the nozzle, with my head on my forearm, letting the water run down my back. With each stroke I think of Sookie and all the ways I want to be with her. I think of her bouncy hair that I want to run my hands through, her mouth with those beautiful lips that I want to whisper against, her full round breasts that I want to lave with my tongue until she can't take anymore and she's writhing underneath me. I imagine her naked before me, spread out on my bed like a buffet, with me above her, licking and sucking and nibbling every inch of her delicious body. I find my release in the image of Sookie's thighs, wrapped around my face as in my dream. I'm panting as I straighten up and wash myself off the shower wall. The rest of my shower is quick and I walk out in my towel like I have for the past three days. I know she likes it. And I like her looking at me.

After I get dressed, I ask her where she wants to go for breakfast and she suggests Upstairs again, which is fine with me. She teases me by saying that maybe I'll stay until she finishes this time. I can feel my face growing warm so I know I must be blushing and I can't think of anything to say. It's not like me to be tongue tied around a girl. I always thought I was so smooth but Sookie makes me feel like a horny teenager and a love sick puppy all at once and I end up looking like a fool around her way too often.

Breakfast is just as good as it was before and I eat a lot. I think breakfast is my favorite meal and I can tell Sookie is amused by my appetite. Then she says something about my parents and it sends me into a tailspin. I've been thinking about my family a lot lately and even though she takes my hand and urges me to talk to her, I just can't. I know talking helps but sometimes not thinking about it is easier. I decide today will not be the day for sharing. I already practically cried to her about Sophie and I know that I can't have this conversation in a crowded restaurant. Besides, I don't like her thinking I'm weak and that I can't handle my own problems. Because I can.

After breakfast, we go down and pack to head to the airport. Annika is asleep on my chest in the cab so I don't talk to Sookie while we drive. Truthfully, I don't know what I'd say to her. I'm so pathetic to feel this sad because our trip is over. If I could, I'd just stay in our little bubble at the Kimberley Hotel. I'm not ready to face my empty house and my even emptier life.

Once we are settled onto the airplane, I can't help but stare at her. Since we had to reschedule this flight, we don't have a separate seat for Annika and Sookie offers to hold her. She's still sleeping and her head is on Sookie's breasts and I'm fucking jealous of my baby.

"Do you want me to take her?" I ask.

She smiles at me and says, "Not at all. These are the moments we live for, right? A sweet sleeping angel on my chest. I'm happy to hold her until she wakes up."

I don't know why my heart flutters at her words. Watching her cradle the light of my life, while she gently strokes her little head, makes an ache grow in my chest. It's an ache I haven't felt in a long long time and it is fucking terrifying. She must see it in my face because she asks me what's wrong. I just shake my head, not trusting myself to speak. Nothing is wrong. Something is so right for the first time in a long time. And that just means that there is something good for me to fuck up.

The plane lands and I don't think I've said a single word more to Sookie. Annika is awake and on my lap and I hand her to Sookie so I can get our carry-ons. I need to snap out of my funk because surely Sookie will notice if I go mute on her for much longer.

While we wait in baggage claim a million thoughts are swirling through my mind. Before I even really register the last thought in my brain, I'm asking Sookie to have lunch with me. I don't want to let her go. I don't want her to go back to her life. I selfishly want her in mine. I want to drag her into my world so that she abandons everything in hers and will be only mine. _Mine_, I want to yell at her. _Don't go! You are mine!_

"Yes," she says and for a second I don't know what she's agreeing to and my heart leaps in my chest as my mouth curves into a huge smile.

"Where to?" she says, and I realize that she's talking about having lunch with me. I turn to look around the airport and avoid her gaze as I get my racing heart under control.

"Legal Sea Foods is in the airport. Is that good?" I say when I've recovered my composure.

"Perfect," she says.

We eat tons of seafood, well I eat tons, and Sookie still stays relatively quiet while she eats. I feel like telling her to ignore my earlier words and start her moaning again. Even though it made my dick painfully hard, it was worth it to hear those sexy noises coming out of her mouth.

"She's eye fucking you. Do you see her?" she says as I'm signing my name on the receipt. I look up at her.

"What?" I ask. "Who is?" I haven't noticed anybody.

"The waitress. I'm sitting right here and she's eye fucking you. How does she know I'm not with you? That's so rude!"

I smile at the fire in her voice and look over at the waitress who is indeed staring at me. I look back at Sookie and smile wider because of the comically angry look on her face. Is she jealous?

"Come on," I say as I stand up. "Are you ready to go?" I put my arm around her shoulder after she picks up Annika and lean in _very_ close to her as I kiss Anni's cheek. I can smell Sookie's shampoo and feel her breath on my cheek. I pull back and I can tell by the look on her face that Sookie has no idea what I'm doing. I wink at her and cut my eyes to the waitress and back to Sookie. I see understanding register on her face and she beams a bright smile at me while we walk out of the restaurant.

Once outside, I drop my arm and immediately feel the loss of her warmth. She felt good tucked into my side but I have no more excuse to hold her now that the offending waitress is out of sight.

We walk to a cab stand and I help her get her luggage into her cab. I'm not sure how to say goodbye to her so I put my unoccupied arm around her and lean in to hug her briefly. She smells so fucking good and I don't want to let go.

"See you Monday," I say as she climbs in. Monday can't come soon enough.

Monday is slow coming after a Sunday that seemed to drag on and on. I wake up before my alarm, as usual, and at first I don't know why I feel so giddy. I'm ridiculously happy for some reason. Then it dawns on me that I am this happy because Sookie will be here in less than two hours. Shit. That's so pathetic. I need to get myself under control before I get too attached to her. At least I didn't wake up with another fucking hard-on.

I get into the shower and let the hot water cascade down my neck and back while I do my best to relax. Thinking about Sookie being here soon is making me fucking hyper or something. I need the energy release of a workout and I decide I will use the gym at work when I get in. When I get out of the shower I put on track pants and a long sleeve t-shirt so I can get right in the gym when I leave home. I'm sure I will be even more worked up after I see Sookie.

I was right. As soon as Sookie rings the doorbell, my heart races and I feel like I'm fucking vibrating. What the fuck? I am so sick of feeling out of control around her. I should just hire another nanny and let her go. Then I wouldn't have to think about her ever again. Thinking about her has become an annoyance that I don't need in my life.

I open the door to her and as I look at her beautiful smile, I wonder what the fuck is wrong with me that I would consider sending her away.

"Hi, Sookie," I say. I step back to let her in and she brushes past me with a thank you.

"What do you have there?" I ask. It's groceries, I'm not stupid but I still ask.

"I'm going to make you dinner tonight," she says with a nervous smile on her pretty face.

My face falls. I have to work late tonight. Shit!

"I'm sorry. That was really presumptuous of me. Of course you don't want to eat dinner with me. I'm so sorry for just assuming you would want-"

I cut off her rambling by putting my hand under her chin so she will look at me. She stops talking abruptly and looks up to my face. I'm looking into her eyes and my fingers are touching her soft skin and I forget what the fuck I wanted to say to her in the first place.

"Eric?" she says breathlessly, bringing me back to reality.

"Oh!" I say and drop my hand from her face, taking a couple steps back. "I do want to have dinner with you. I would love for you to make dinner for me. But I have to work late tonight. I won't be home until close to eight o'clock."

"Oh," she says, letting out a breath, "That's okay. I'll just wait for you. I have to be here anyway, right? I can't abandon Annika so I'll just be here anyway. Right, I already said that." She trails off at the end and her last sentence is barely audible.

We stand silently for a couple seconds before she looks down at my clothes.

"Going to work out?" she says and then immediately blushes. Hmm, okay.

"Yes. At work," I say, gathering my briefcase and garment bag to put by the door. I'll be leaving as soon as Annika wakes up. Shit, maybe I'll wake her up so I can get out of here sooner.

Just as I'm thinking that, I hear her talking to herself in her crib. "I'll get her!" I say, already halfway up the stairs. She calls me Dada when she sees me and it makes my heart surge just like every time she says it. I walk down the stairs and kiss her forehead before passing her to Sookie.

"Bye, princess," I say as I put my coat on. I'm out the door less than a minute later.

I run hard at the gym for 30 minutes, stopping only because I have to get some work done. I shower quickly and put on my suit before I've even stopped sweating from my workout. Next time I'm taking a cold shower. I hate sweating into a suit.

"Hi Pam," I say as I pass her on the way to my office. She follows me in.

"Eric. How was the rest of the trip? I'm so glad I got out Thursday night before the storm. How was Friday's meeting?

"The trip was fine. Meeting was boring as usual but we got a lot accomplished. Things look good. And, yeah, lucky you with the Thursday flight!" I answer.

"How did everything go with Sookie? Was she upset that she had to stay an extra day? I'm sure you made it up to her."

"What? What are you talking about?" Shit! What does she know? Oh fuck, why am I panicking?

"Relax, Eric. I just meant I'm sure you paid her well...You fucked her, didn't you? I knew you wouldn't be able to keep it in your pants as soon as I saw her."

"Pam! I didn't! Come on!"

"You didn't? Well, something happened because your face is a fucking tomato!"

"Shit, Pam. Give it a rest," I sigh. "I don't need this shit." I sit down at my desk with my head in my hands.

Pam is silent for a few moments before she sits down in front of me and says with a gentle voice, "I'm sorry, Eric. I can tell you like her. And I actually like her too. What's the matter?"

"She's leaving, Pam! She was only here for a month and now there are two weeks left." I can't believe I'm telling Pam this. I'm sure she doesn't want to hear my blubbering about some girl I've known for less than two weeks.

"You really like her, don't you?" she asks, trying to catch my gaze.

I shut my eyes tight and sigh. "I guess. Yes. I don't know. It's hard you know? It's a fucking complicated situation."

"Why is it complicated? Eric, you haven't been like this over a woman in a long time. If you have feelings for her, you owe it to yourself to pursue that."

Do I? Can I? I run my hand through my hair and sigh again.

"Stop the fucking sighing, Eric. I can't take it. I'm liable to go behind there and hug you. You don't want me to look like I care do you?" She's grinning at me and it does make me feel better.

I smile at her, "You know I like you better when you're cold and heartless, Pam," I tease. "Thank you," I add sincerely because I really do appreciate her friendship and I am glad that she knows how much to push and when to back off. I'm not good with feelings and shit.

"Now get the fuck out of here so I can change my shirt. I'm fucking sweating like Elvis on the toilet!"

"Jesus, Eric!" she says as she gets up, "That's a mental image I don't need!"

After my morning meeting I come back to my desk and pull up the video feed from my house for no other reason than to watch Sookie. It's creepy right? Am I a stalker? I just can't get her out of my head. I can hardly concentrate on anything else. I decide I'll just take a quick peak and see what they're doing right now, then close the window.

I see them on the floor playing together and then Sookie picks up Annika and heads upstairs. Knowing what time it is, I know she's going to put her down for a nap and I know how she will do it. I wonder if it'll effect me the same way. As I watch with rapt attention, I can tell it _is_ effecting me the same way. I have the glorious view of her swaying hips from behind and I don't realize just how effected I am until I catch myself absently stroking my erection through my pants. I sit up straight and shut down the window with the camera feed because what the fuck am I doing? I'm about to fucking shoot my load at my desk? Goddamn! Pull it to-fucking-gether!

I have my head in my hands when I hear Pam come in.

"Hey Eric," she says, coming around to put her hand on my shoulder, "You want to talk about it? Something is bothering you."

"No! Why does everyone want me to spill my fucking guts? I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about anything!"

I push my chair back quickly, causing Pam to step back. I grab my coat, I just need some time to think. Alone.

"I'll be gone for an hour. Forward my calls to my cell."

I can tell Pam wants to say something. She's looking at me with so much concern on her face and it just makes me angrier. I'm not some fucking child who needs her concern. I can handle my life by myself.

"Well?" I snap, "Are you going to do what I said?" I need her to stop looking at me right fucking now.

"Yes, sir," she says coldly and I know she is angry with me for treating her like shit. She never calls me sir.

I don't fucking care right now. I will have to mend fences with Pam later. Right now, I'm going to lose it if I don't get out of here. Sookie has completely turned my life upside down and as much as I like her, I hate this feeling of free fall that always comes with thoughts of her. I can't fucking handle this. Is she worth this mind fuck?

Before I know it, I'm standing at the waterfront looking out at the harbor. Did I fucking walk this far? I take a few deep breaths of frigid salt air and am instantly transported back to my childhood home. I suddenly find myself gulping in air in an effort not to cry. I miss my little brother. I fucking miss him and he could be dead for all I know. The force of this sudden wave of sadness nearly brings me to my knees and I grip the railing I'm standing next to in an effort to steady myself. I couldn't save him, I couldn't do enough and he might have died, alone on the street like any other junkie.

For the third, fourth, or hell, hundredth time today I tell myself to pull it together. I walk back slowly to my office, stopping to buy lunch for Pam and myself on the way.

"Spinach salad peace offering?" I say sheepishly to her as I put her lunch down on her desk. I know this is her favorite meal from her favorite place.

She smiles at me from her seat. "Thanks, Eric," she says, "Though I would have preferred Jimmy Choo." I grin at her, thankful for her forgiveness.

How I make it through the rest of my day, I don't even know. I just know that I am looking forward to having dinner with Sookie. I have that giddy feeling again and my insides are churning as I drive home. I hope I can eat what she made because I'm sure it will be fucking fantastic. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will be their dinner together in Sookie's pov and I promise it will be happier. Eric is in turmoil but there will be an HEA for them, so I hope you will stick around for that. Thank you to everyone reading this story and putting alerts on it and me. Thank you to all the reviewers. I think I got to thank you all but if I missed you, I'm sorry. **

**I wanted to clear up any confusion about where they live or where Sookie goes to school and what she'll do after January. They live in Boston and Cambridge, which are two cities separated by the Charles River. It's not a wide river so they are close enough to each other that distance isn't a concern but since they are large cities, they could potentially live there and never see each other again if they don't want to.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's ch 10, folks. It starts with Sookie's pov on Monday morning.**

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SOOKIE

I am awake well before my alarm this morning for some reason. Being a college student, I get as much sleep as possible, which usually includes pressing the snooze button at least three times before I finally get up. This morning, it's almost twenty minutes before my alarm is due to ring and I can't get back to sleep. I finally just give up and sit up in my bed. What's my problem? The only times I usually can't sleep are when I have something on my mind. So what's on my mind bright and freakin' early this Monday morning? Eric.

Eric. This man who seems to have captured my every waking thought and most of my sleeping ones, too. This beautiful person who is sweet and kind but sometimes scary as hell. Eric, who seems to carry the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. Who laughs and flirts, but who will not share what's on his troubled mind. Who in some ways is so playful and boyish and in other ways is a truly glorious specimen of man.

What is it about him that draws me so forcefully to him? It's actually scary how much I like him. I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit that I'm falling for him. Certain things that he does make me think he may feel the same way about me. He certainly takes every opportunity to get close to me and show off his body, knowing what it does to me. But he said he wants to just be friends and maintain a professional relationship. I don't know what to do. He's going to have to give me a very clear sign if he wants to take things further.

There, I just used up all my extra time on Eric. Oh well, I think he's worth it. I get up reluctantly and head to the bathroom for a shower. This being a school break, nobody else is up and the bathroom is empty and freezing. I shower quickly and dry my hair. I have about ten minutes before I need to get going so I quickly gather up all the ingredients to make dinner for Eric. I can't help but fantasize about a romantic meal for two with candles and soft music but I know Annika will be there and it will be far from romantic. A girl can dream though, can't she?

Pretty soon, I'm knocking on Eric's door, wondering in what state of undress he will meet me today. Well, he's dressed...in slick track pants that show off his package in a really great way. Goodness, what is wrong with me that I can find something sexually exciting about everything he wears. But really, is he wearing underwear? Because I think I see something swinging around in there.

I breeze past him with my grocery bags and even though they are clearly holding groceries, he still asks what's inside.

When I tell him I plan on making dinner for him, he frowns. He frowns! Oh shit. Oh, stupid stupid Sookie! I'm rambling something about assuming things and all of a sudden his hand is on my face, lifting my chin to meet his eyes and I can't for the life of me remember even my name. I do remember his name, though, and I whisper it to him. Maybe he forgot his own name like I did because he's staring at me, not speaking.

Then he looks shocked and drops his hand, backing away. _No, no, come back,_ I want to say. _Touch me again!_ But he tells me that he has to work late. He wasn't frowning because he doesn't want to have dinner with me, he was frowning because he wasn't sure I'd wait for him! I feel like running through his condo singing but instead I ramble out another incoherent sentence or three. Why does he want to spend time with me? Surely, he is sick of me already.

So, here we are, just staring at each other. It's not awkward at all. I don't know what to do so I look down, which is a mistake because there's his gracious package for my greedy perusal. To cover my lusting eyes, I ask him if he's planning to work out, which really is a dumb thing to ask someone in work out clothes. My face feels like I stuck it in the oven. I hope he doesn't notice.

He seems really eager to get his daughter. He's bounding up the steps and she just barely started talking to herself. He told me he usually waits a while to go get her. I hope he's not running from me. Things did get pretty awkward this morning. When he comes quickly down the stairs and hands me Annika, without a word to me, I worry that he's in a rush to leave because of me.

As soon as he closes the door, I take a giant breath.

"I can't figure him out," I say to Annika in a fake happy lilt, "Your daddy is a mystery to me." Her smile melts me. I will miss being with her all day when I go back to school.

I'm in the kitchen, making Annika's bottle when it hits me that if he works until eight, Annika will be asleep for our dinner. Maybe it _will_ be a romantic meal! Oh my god! That thought terrifies me! I know I was fantasizing about that but now that it could be reality, I'm freaking out.

As soon as I put Annika down for her first nap, I go in the kitchen to make my lunch. I brought salad and stuff to make sandwiches so it doesn't take long. I take my food to the table and decide to call Amelia while I eat. Maybe she can talk me down. She answers on the fourth ring. I was just about to hang up.

"Were you sleeping, Amelia?" I ask. I didn't mean to disturb her.

"No, not sleeping. It's okay, I can talk," she answers. She sounds out of breath and I hear a giggle in the background and I'm suddenly sure that I disturbed Amelia and her girlfriend.

"Shoot, Ames, were you having sex? I'm so sorry. I can call you back!"

She laughs, "Nope. I just got her off, it's fine. She'll just owe me for later," she says laughing and I hear Tracy say something in the background.

"Are you sure? I'm really sorry..."

"No, it's okay. What's up? How's boy toy?"

"Ugh, don't call him that. Besides, he's hardly a boy. Oh my god, Amelia, you should see him in gym clothes!"

"I know that's not why you called...to talk about his dick. What's the matter? Did your dinner plans change?"

"No, well, yes. They got better. He won't be home until eight so his daughter will be in bed and I'm sort of freaking out! What if something happens? What if something doesn't happen? I don't know which would be worse!"

"Sookie, relax. Just have fun, see where the night takes you. Let him make the first move if you're so nervous. He wants you right? You wouldn't be doing all this if you didn't know he wants you..."

"That's just it, Amelia. He's so hot and cold! I think he wants me, but like this morning, he practically ran out of here without even saying goodbye to me."

"Ohh, well maybe he's nervous too? What happened before that?"

"I told him I wanted to make him dinner and he said he had to work late."

"Did he seem like he wanted to have dinner with you?"

"Yes. He did, actually. He seemed really happy about it."

"Well, then, there you go. He must just be nervous, like you. Cut him some slack, I'm sure with a little baby, he hasn't dated much since his bitchy girlfriend left." I had told Amelia about Eric's ex and how hurt he seemed over her.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"In fact, Sookie, I wouldn't be surprised if he's gun shy after she treated him like that. Give him a break. He may need to go really slowly. Can you imagine? Three years and she dumps a baby in his lap and takes off? Shit. It's a wonder he can even talk to girls."

"You're right. It just feels like one step forward two steps back with him. I may burst before the step that gets us in bed together."

"Yeah, but Sookie, do you just want to fuck him or do you want something more? The steps to something more take a lot longer. Especially when people have painful pasts."

The way she says this last sentence makes it clear she's talking about me too. My past relationships have been pretty crappy but I've talked enough about it to have mostly healed. Eric is still in the middle of his pain but he doesn't want to let anyone help him swim to shore.

"Amelia, you sure you don't want to switch your major to psychology?" I say laughing. She really does make me feel better.

"Nope! Biochemistry is where it's at baby! Knowing all about the chemicals that make certain reactions in the human body. Oh, it's so sexy, it gives me a lady boner. I can't wait to graduate and get started altering people!" she says and then laughs maniacally. This is her joke. That she's going to learn how to use chemicals to change people and make strange things happen. Crazy girl!

"Well, thanks for the advice, Ames. I have to go. I haven't eaten a single bite of my lunch and the munchkin will be up soon." We say our goodbyes and hang up.

Once I put Annika down for her second nap, I start on dinner prep. I want to get everything cut up so it's ready to sear later. Then I just have to put everything in the pot and cook it in the oven for a really long time. By the time Eric gets home, his house should smell heavenly.

And it does. The stew is in the oven when he gets home and from upstairs with Annika, I can hear him groan when he closes the front door. I try not to imagine a scenario where he would make that sound for another reason. I can hear him coming quietly up the stairs and when he peaks into Annika's room and sees me giving Annika her last bottle, he has a big smile on his face. Annika's little eyes are drooping as she drinks but when she looks around and sees him standing there, they pop open and she turns her head towards him and smiles. He talks softly to her and tells her to keep eating and that he'll be right back to put her to bed.

I wonder what he's doing but then he comes back in a few minutes dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeved white henley. Annika has finished her bottle so I stand up with her and he takes her from me. He shifts her so her head rests on his chest and he goes to stand next to her crib. He sways his body back and forth and starts humming to her, a low and rhythmic melody, and it is the single most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed. The way the dim light plays on both their faces makes them look like angels. They are both so beautiful in such different ways. I back up slowly to the bedroom door because this is such a tender moment but I don't leave because I want to watch them. This man, this giant, brooding, gorgeous hunk of man, is the sweetest, most loving dad I have ever seen. It brings tears to my eyes watching them.

Eric lays her down and turns around smiling at me. When he walks closer he looks shocked for a split second but when he walks up to me he wordlessly brushes his thumbs across my cheeks, wiping my tears. I hadn't realized they actually spilled down my cheeks. His hands linger on my face and I look up at him, thinking how I would love to kiss him. I think he's looking at me the same way but then his eyes change and he moves his hands away and brushes past me.

"Let's go eat," he says enthusiastically, "It smells wonderful!"

"It's not quite ready yet," I say smiling, as we walk downstairs, "It needs a few more minutes of prep. Do you want to help me?"

"Sure! I'd love to help. What did you make?"

We're in the kitchen now so I open the oven to take out the heavy pot. Eric bounds over to help so I give him the pot holders. He sets it on the stove and opens the lid.

"Mmm," he groans again. If he doesn't stop those noises, I'm going to tackle him to the ground and go for a ride. Dang, is this how he felt about me? "Boeuf bourguignon," he says. He says it the right way, with a good French accent and it has me wondering.

"Do you speak French?" I ask. I have a thing for French. It makes me hot. If he speaks French to me I will not be held accountable for my actions.

"Je parle un peu Français. Assez pour passer en France," he says with a perfect accent. I'm not sure what kind of sound just came out of my mouth.

"Sookie?" he says and I open my eyes. I didn't realize they were closed. Shoot, snap out of it, girl!

"Oh! What did you say?" I ask, embarrassed by my weird behavior.

"I said that I speak a little French. I know enough to get by in France," he says, looking amused. He looks at the food and asks, "So how can I help?"

"Do you know how to make a roux?" I ask, fully expecting to have to make it myself.

"I do," he says, looking smug. "You were expecting me to say no, weren't you?" he laughs.

"I was actually. How awful of me! You're just so pretty, I don't expect you to have so many other good qualities." Oh shit! Did I just say that out loud? I must have because he's staring at me.

"You think I'm pretty?" he says in that voice I've come to know as his flirty voice. I decide to flirt back instead of letting myself feel awkward.

"I do. You are," I say with confidence.

His flirty smile falters for a brief moment before he recovers and when he does, he gets that look in his eye, you know, the predatory look - the sex look. Dang! I had aimed to take things slow with him. I stick my face in the freezer to get the pearl onions. I'm not hiding, no siree.

But when I close the freezer door, he's there, still looking at me.

"You are too," he says softly.

"What?" I ask. I think I know but I want to hear it.

"Pretty," he says, "Beautiful." His eyes are twinkling and suddenly I can't catch my breath. But he doesn't do anything and as quickly as the look entered his eyes, it is gone and he's in the fridge for the butter. He gets the flour and a saucepan and starts on making the roux.

Meanwhile, I get the mushrooms to sauté and turn on the heat under the stew. I add in the pearl onions while the mushrooms are cooking. Eric whisks his roux, which looks really good- no lumps. I'm impressed by him. Beautiful, smart, and he can cook. Damn, he's every woman's dream.

"That's very impressive, Mr. Northman," I tell him, "You are quite skilled in the kitchen."

His head turns quickly towards me and the sex eyes are back. "I'm quite skilled in other rooms as well," he says.

Oh my god, what? That cannot be mistaken for anything other than extreme flirting, right? I'm sure my face is bright red because it feels like it's on fire. And that's not the only part of me that's heating up. Quick, think of something to say!

I guess I wasn't quick enough because he looks away and says, "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate. I don't know why I said that."

Eff that! I liked where this was going! "Probably because it's true," I say, looking right into his eyes, which widen at my words. "In fact, I'm sure it's a _hugely_ (and here I look down at the unmistakably huge part of his anatomy partly responsible for his bedroom skills) accurate statement." Score! He's frozen. Let's see if we can melt him.

He is facing me, his side towards the stove and his whisk has stopped moving. I can't let him burn that roux, can I? I walk up to him, and the only acknowledgement from him is that his eyes get impossibly wider. I stand just close enough so that I can feel his body heat but not his body. "Your roux," I say softly to him, placing my hand on top of his on his whisk and moving it slowly around. His body stiffens and I can feel him almost vibrating in response to my touch, like there is a charge between us. I lift up on my toes to reach his ear and seemingly unconsciously, his head lowers to meet mine. I whisper, my lips brushing his skin, and all the while stirring slowly, "Keep it up." He whimpers. Whimpers! My job here is done ladies and gentlemen!

I step back and continue to sauté my mushrooms and after about two seconds Eric recovers and seems to reanimate. He begins to whisk his roux again and when he deems it ready, we dump it into the stew along with the mushrooms. It just needs to boil and then simmer for a few minutes and it will be ready to eat.

Eric is looking a little lost and I feel kind of bad for messing with him so I ask him to open the wine to give him a task to do. I set the table while he does and as I'm placing the silverware, I'm surprised to hear soft music fill the space. Hmm, Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

"Lovely," I say, "Which is your favorite? I like Summer. It starts out so slow and soft, deceptively so. And then it builds in such a glorious way like the sweltering heat of a Summer's day, before it goes back to being languid and lingering. You are lulled by the sweeping melody only to be awakened when it gets suddenly quick and exciting. Then unexpectedly it's back to sweet until by the end the melody is fast and frenzied in its crescendo all the while the cellos are keeping a deep steady rhythm and when it's over your heart is racing and your palms are sweaty and you just want more." I look at him and even from across the room I can see him swallow, his adam's apple bobbing down and then back up. God, he has such a gorgeous neck.

He walks towards me slowly, like a cat on the prowl. Those eyes are back, and they are dark with lust. Now it's my turn to gulp. I knew I was pushing him and now I'm kind of afraid about what he might do. The air is charged with the electricity between us. We just need a spark, and we will ignite.

"That was fucking poetry," he says in a deep, silky voice and I wonder about the double entendre of his words. Words like fucking poetry or poetic words about fucking? Either way, though I hadn't meant my words to be quite so sexual. They apparently made him bold because he's still coming towards me. He stops on the other side of the table from me, puts his hands on it, and leans towards me. He's tall, so his body comes closer to me that I'm ready for.

"I don't know how much longer I can play this game," he grits out with a strained voice, his eyes intent on mine.

"What game?" I say. My innocent question is betrayed by my quickening breath as he starts towards me again. He's coming around the table and his gaze is still steady on mine.

"This game, where we pretend that we are just friends and that neither one of us wants to rip the other one's clothes off." Well...I have no idea what to say to that so I just stand there.

He is very close to me now. I can feel his breath fall across my lips when he exhales. He takes a breath in and then his lips are on mine and his hands are tangled in my hair and he's kissing me for all he's worth. Kissing him is like a drug. Something to crave and obsess over until it's finally attained and its magnificence is proven to be so much better than remembered. I lose myself in his mouth, his soft lips and his gently probing tongue, and moan as I bring my hands up to his back, pressing him closer. He steps into me until there is no space between us. He is unmistakably aroused and he groans as his arousal presses into my stomach.

Then, out of nowhere, a loud buzz sounds through the downstairs. Is this the sound my brain makes when it's happy? The longer the buzz sounds, the more my haze lifts and I realize it's the stove timer, signaling that dinner is ready.

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**A/N: I know. I'm evil. I'm sorry but I'm trying to figure out if I should start the next chapter with Eric's pov as soon as he gets home or from right when this chapter leaves off. I'm not sure yet.**

** Anyway, things are heating up! Let me know how you like it!**

**also, I missed responding personally to reviews last chapter and I'm sorry. I was trying to get a chapter of my other fic out along with continuing this one. Please forgive me. Thank you to all my reviewers!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch 11 here. It starts with Eric's pov when Sookie is telling him why she likes Vivaldi's Summer.**

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ERIC

Fuck, is she talking about music or sex? Her words are innocent but the look on her face and the sound of her voice make it clear that she is speaking with some thinly veiled innuendo. Either that or she is very passionate about Vivaldi. Listening to her talking like this is doing funny things to me. I'm ready to swipe the dishes off the table and push her down onto it. Holy fuck, what is she saying about sweaty palms and wanting more?

As soon as she is done talking, she fixes me with a glare and I can only swallow hard and stare back. I want her. I need to feel her right now. Without my brain's acknowledgment my body is walking towards her. I'm buzzing with my need to touch her.

I say something about her poetic words and even if I wanted to stop moving across the room to her, I couldn't. My brain is no longer in control of me. I am thinking with the engorged body part between my legs. He wants me to keep going so I do. I reach the table, which puts a barrier between us. I need to have her. I need my arms around her and her lips on mine. I need my body close to hers. I lean over the table.

"I don't know how much longer I can play this game," I say feeling the strain of having to talk when I want to be doing everything but.

"What game?" she says. Who does she think she's kidding? She knows what I'm talking about. She has been playing with me all night. I start moving around the table to her and I haven't taken my eyes off her. I'm on the hunt and she will be captured.

"This game," I say, "where we pretend that we are just friends and that neither one of us wants to rip the other one's clothes off." She looks slightly shocked and it's clear she has no clue what to say to me. That's alright. No more talking is needed.

I put both my hands on her head, letting my fingers slip through her silky hair, and pull her close enough to kiss. I capture her mouth in a gentle kiss that soon turns into something much more passionate. Her fingers dance their way across my chest, grazing my nipples. My body shudders at her touch and I release a shaky breath against her lips. Her hands slide around my body to my back and she pushes me closer. I move nearer to her until the only thing between us is my aching erection. I press into her soft stomach and groan at the feel of my cock in such a perfect place. Her chest is pressed against my chest and when she breathes in I can feel her breasts push closer to me. She is amazing. Her mouth is amazing. Everything about her is fucking amazing! Her lips are so soft and sweet, her tongue is eager. I like it. I fucking love it and I don't want it to ever end.

But then, shit, the buzzer. I don't want to stop kissing her and I hold her by the back of her neck to keep her lips on mine. Her hands fist into the front of my shirt, nails raking over my skin, making me gasp. My cock twitches against her and we both moan. I can ignore that fucking buzzer if it means I get more of Sookie.

"Dinner," she mumbles against my lips, pulling back as much as I let her. But then she's kissing me again and I'm not sure how badly she really wants to eat. I'd much rather kiss her all night. Well, apparently my stomach isn't happy with that decision because it rumbles loudly in that moment and Sookie manages to pull back from my embrace. Cock blocked by my own stomach.

We stare at each other and I'm sure I look every bit as intense as she does. Her hair is mussed from my fingers, her lips are cherry red and swollen from mine, and her chest is heaving from the force of her breaths as she calms down. My heart is galloping in my chest, and I'm panting just as much. I look at her until my breathing slows and I feel like I've gotten myself under control. That was the best kiss I think I've ever had.

_Fuck_.

"Maybe later," she says with a wink, walking to the kitchen, "Let's eat now." What? I said that out loud? Oh holy fuck! She's killing me.

If the food didn't smell so good, I'd tell her to forget it, we should fuck now. But I know she worked hard making it and I'm sure it's excellent so I would like to eat it. Besides, it's late and I'm starving. I don't want this moment to end, though. I want to keep all this good sexual energy alive somehow. Right now, I can feel it in the air.

"Hey," she says, bringing me back down to earth, "Will you bring the stew to the table while I cut the bread. I forgot all about the bread."

"Sure," I say, following her. I grab the pot holders and bring the pot to the table. I get the wine and make sure we both have full glasses before I go back into the kitchen to see what Sookie is doing.

She's standing at the counter cutting bread so I walk up behind her and press my body to the back of hers. My head is over her right shoulder so I can see what she's doing.

"Eric! You're going to make me cut myself!" she says laughing.

"No, I just want to watch," I say solemnly, knowing that I'm not here just to watch her cut bread. I turn my head and kiss her neck right under her ear and she moans and drops her knife. Hmm, I think I found her sweet spot.

It feels good to have someone in the kitchen with me. I used to make dinner with Sophie all the time. Ah, shit. Why'd I have to think of her? She's the last person I want to be thinking about now.

I drop my head so that my face is in the crook of Sookie's neck surrounded by her hair. She smells good and she makes me feel better so I close my eyes and just breathe her.

"Eric?" Sookie says as if she has already said it before. Maybe she did and I wasn't listening.

"Hmm?" I say against her neck.

"Are you okay? I was telling you I'm done cutting if you want to sit down." No, I don't want to sit down. Can't I stay here against her?

"Oh, yeah. Sure," I say with much more enthusiasm than I feel.

She picks up the board with the bread and I follow her to the table. I pull out her chair for her and she seems surprised but pleased. She puts her hand on my cheek and caresses me and I have the sudden urge to rub up against her whole body like a cat. But instead, I take my own seat as she sits down in hers.

I'm entirely too far from her across the table. Would it be stupid if I moved to sit next to her? Probably.

"Thank you for making all this, Sookie," I say earnestly, "I'm sure I'm not worth all this trouble."

She smiles warmly at me. "I'm sure you are, Eric," she says sincerely. I like when she says my name.

She dishes up the stew, giving me twice as much as herself, which makes me laugh because she knows me so well.

"What?" she says, looking at me with a small smile.

"Nothing, it's just funny that you know how much I eat."

"I've seen you eat many times now and each time I'm still impressed with how much you can pack away. But I've seen that body of yours, so I can see where it goes."

"You've only seen half. I promise, the other half is even better," I smirk.

She's just looking at me rather blankly and I think I have her tongue tied but then she says, "Yeah, well, we'll see." Ooh, does she want to see, because I'll whip it out right here!

The food is too hot to eat so I take a sip of wine and hear that the music has gotten to Vivaldi's Winter, which is the one I like best. Really, I love them all but something about Winter reminds me of home.

"This one's my favorite," I say, gesturing toward the speakers. I'm going to beat her at her own game.

"Your favorite?" she repeats with a furrowed brow, until she remembers her earlier question to me.

"Yes, unlike Summer, Winter starts off at a frenzied pace. It's light and it's fast and it makes you lose your breath but at the same time there is a continuos rhythm- _dum, dum, dum,_" I drum on the table to match my words as I speak, "Like your heartbeat, there is always that rhythm, you can always feel it- _dum, dum, dum,_" I haven't stopped drumming. "And meanwhile, that melody is still fast, still powerful, still going- and then as fast as it starts, it stops, leaving you floating. It slows down, the melody flows all around you but that rhythm- _dum, dum, dum_- is still there in the background. This time lighter, more playful as fingers expertly pluck at strings and the bow glides in long smooth strokes. The notes move along, creating a winding melody that builds in many small strokes, lingering in some places to create the perfect melding of notes. It slows down and becomes sweet and soft until the end, when it swells once more into a frenzy as everything comes together in its beautiful conclusion. And when _it's_ over, you want to close your eyes and sleep, you are so spent you couldn't possibly take anymore."

I look over at her and she's just staring at me, with her bottom lip between her teeth. She hasn't taken a single bite. Two can play at this game, Miss Stackhouse! I believe I won that round. I pick up my spoon as if nothing happened and start eating.

I knew by the smell, this stew would be unbelievable and I am not disappointed. "So good," I say around a mouthful of food. I know that's not polite but she hasn't started eating yet and I want to break her out of whatever haze she is in. Finally she looks at me and smiles.

"The secret ingredient is love," she says with a smirk. Oh shit, I'm choking. Ok, I'm not choking, but I had just taken a drink and I swallowed wrong and now I'm coughing up my lungs. How attractive, Northman. Nice job. She wins.

She jumps up and comes around to me, patting and rubbing my back. Well, this wasn't my plan but she's touching me, so it's not too bad.

"I'm okay," I rasp out.

She goes back to her seat. "You sure?" she says and I think how sweet she is to be concerned. But then she says, "I could get you one of Annika's bottles until you learn to drink from a cup like a big boy." Oh, she's a funny one. She thinks she is, based on her big smile.

"Oh, I'm already a _very_ big boy," I say. Smile wiped. Another point for Northman. This is fun.

"Indeed," she says archly. "Listen, Eric, as fun as this is...can we get serious for a minute?"

I gulp. Shit. "Sure. What do you want to talk about?" What am I so afraid of? Suddenly my pulse is going a mile a minute and I feel like I can't breathe. Everything I was feeling this morning and at work today comes flooding back into my mind and I'm almost panting with my effort to calm down and remain in my chair.

"Eric, relax. You look like I want to discuss your murder or something. What's wrong? I just want to talk about us," she says softly.

"I know. That's what's wrong," I say but then immediately regret my choice of words when she looks like I just slapped her. Hurt and a small amount of anger play across her face and I know I have to make this right but I don't have the words.

"That's what's wrong? That's what's wrong?" she says, her voice growing more shrill with each word. Shit, fix this now Northman! "Shit, Eric! You're the one who attacked _me_. You're the one who stalked me around the table and then grabbed me in a kiss." Well, I was trying to fix this but now I'm fucking angry.

"Jesus, Sookie! I didn't attack you! I kissed you. Don't make me sound like some kind of animal who came at you with no provocation. You messed with me all night. You worked me up with your body and your words, what did you want me to do?"

"So that's all it was, Eric? You reacting because you were turned on? You want me to believe you didn't want any of that?"

"Yes! No! I don't know! You kissed me back, Sookie. You wanted it too!" Christ, I'm so confused. Why are we even fighting?

"Fine, Eric," she sighs. "I'm not saying I didn't want to be kissed because I did. And yes, I teased you until you made a move because I want you, Eric, and I thought you wanted me!" She looks shocked at her confession.

"Then why are we fighting? Christ...this is exactly what I don't need. This is the exact reason I didn't want anything to happen between us."

"You didn't want anything to happen? If you didn't want anything to happen you should have kept your fucking mouth shut!" she says in a harsh voice. She's mad, shit, I've never seen her mad and cursing. She's scary as hell.

We're not done eating but I can't sit here with her any more. This is the shitty part of relationships. It's never all happy, there is always this crap to deal with and we don't even _have_ a fucking relationship yet. I push my chair back and stand up but I don't know where to go. I don't want to go upstairs because Annika is there so I walk to the living room but I have all this nervous energy and end up pacing back and forth across the room.

Sookie sits for another second, looking shocked, and then she gets up and walks towards me. I'm expecting her to be angry with me for abandoning her at the table but she looks anything but. He face is soft and she looks at me compassionately as she walks up to me. She stands in my path, which makes it impossible to keep pacing unless I go around her which I don't. I stop right in front of her.

"Eric," she says softly, taking my hand, "I'm sorry. I don't want to fight with you. Will you come sit down with me?"

She pulls me to the couch and sits, pulling my hand until I sit down beside her. I am having such conflicted emotions about talking to her. I like her but this complicated shit is not something I need in my life right now.

"I like you," she says, looking at me, and my stomach flips at her words. "I know you have been hurt in the past, we both have, though I'm not comparing your pain with mine. I just think this thing between us is real. And it's not going away. Don't we owe it to ourselves to see where it might go?"

"What if it goes to shit?" I say before I can stop myself. Fuck, I had just meant to think that.

"Is that what you think? Before it even starts?" she asks gently.

"That's what past experience tells me will happen." Shit, she's pulling words from my mouth that I don't even know I'm thinking until they're said!

"Oh, Eric," she sighs, bringing my hand up to her mouth. She presses a kiss into my palm and closes my fingers as if she wants me to hold tightly to it. "If you live in the past, you miss all the good things in your present."

I look at her for a long time in silence. She just lets me look, she doesn't say anything. Can I do this? Can I let down my guard long enough to give this thing with her a chance? There is no doubt that we have chemistry. Hell, that kiss was full of passion and that brief night in the hotel room was too. We get along really well and always have good conversations. We seem compatible but isn't that what I thought about Sophie too? Isn't that why I spent three years with her only to be left heartbroken?

"Eric," she says, looking so far into my eyes, it feels like she can see my soul, "You deserve to be happy."

These are the words that finally undo me. These words are the nail in the coffin of my self control and I snap and pull my hand from hers as I abruptly stand. My chest is heaving with the force of my effort to calm myself so I don't cry. Why the fuck does this keep happening to me? I had been so easily able to control my feelings until Sookie showed up in my life. Now I'm spinning out of control and I don't like it.

"No!" I say, but I choke on that one simple word and it becomes a sob. Fuck! I can see her start to stand up so I turn from her and stand silently until I feel like I can talk without breaking down. I feel her warm hands on my back, caressing me, and it soothes me by a small amount. She removes her hands and just when my heart falls because I think she will walk away, I feel her whole body flush against mine from behind. Her arms come around my front and rest, one my stomach and one over my stuttering heart. She presses the side of her face into my back and hugs me tightly in her arms. There is no place else I'd rather be right now, than in her warm embrace with her soft cheek pressed against me.

"It's okay, Eric. I don't want to push you. If you aren't ready, it's okay," she says gently. She is so good, so kind, and I want to be what she needs. She deserves happiness but I'm not sure I'm the one who can give that to her.

"I want to be," I whisper, unsure whether she can even hear me and whether I'm answering her or myself. "I want to be ready," I say a little louder. She holds me tighter and if I knew her better I would turn around and sob into her neck. I hate this feeling. I hate to feel so out of control, like I can't handle myself, like a fucking child.

Sookie moves to slide around my body to my front. I pick up my arms so she can come around and the feel of her hands smoothing across my stomach and around my lower back, sends heat to my groin and I start to stir again. Shit, I don't need this now.

"I can wait until you're ready, Eric," she whispers to me, her breath heating my chest under my shirt. "We can take this really slowly if you need to."

I don't know if that's even possible given how much I already want her in my bed. What I don't need to go slow with is the physical part of a relationship but I'm sure she's the opposite since most girls are.

I realize I haven't said anything so I nod and say, "Okay, let's do that. Just be patient with me, Sookie. Because I'm going to fuck up sometimes, probably even a lot. This is hard for me. If you just want a good time, that's easy, I can do that well," I say, giving her a half smile, "But, this," I gesture between us, "This is really scary."

She looks up at me smiling. "Okay, let's do that," she says echoing my words, "Because I need to kiss you again," she says, putting her hands on the back of my neck and making me wonder which 'that' she's referring to, "Right...now," she whispers as she brings my head down and tips hers up to meet it.

She angles her head to capture my lips in a searing kiss that goes on and on. Her mouth is hot and greedy and she basically forces my mouth open, pushing her tongue inside. This is different. I'm not used to this level of aggression but I like it. I eagerly return her affections but then her mouth leaves mine and is trailing down my jaw to my neck.

I groan as she presses hot wet kisses to my neck and her name falls from my lips in a gasp as she traces her tongue up the thin muscle from the hollow of my throat, across my chin and back to my mouth. Oh, fuck. My legs are going to give way if she doesn't stop.

Until now, my hands have been rather useless in my shock at her aggressive move. But I put them to good use, running them across her back and then down, squeezing her and making her moan. I bring them around to her front and lightly stroke down her sides, over the soft curves of her breasts to her hips. I grasp her hips tightly with my long fingers and bring her in close to my body, bending my knees to rock my erection into her. She moans against my lips and I gasp, surprised by how good this feels even through our clothes. Even still, I want to get her out of hers and feel her naked body against mine. Oh shit! A horrible thought enters my mind. I have no condoms. It's not like I was expecting this would happen and I haven't had sex in so long...fuck! Shit! I feel like screaming every curse word I can think of and then making up a few more.

She must sense my abruptly foul mood because she pulls away to look at me.

"Jesus, Eric, what's wrong? You look like you want to kill me!"

"Ha, no," I say, trying to school my features so I don't look murderous, "I just, uh, I don't have anything...any protection." And as soon as I say that, I'm suddenly worried that I overestimated how far we would go tonight. Maybe she just wanted to keep kissing, which hell, is fine with me. I look at her, worried about what she will say.

To my relief, she looks disappointed. Well, I mean, I don't want her to be disappointed but if she is that means she wanted to have sex too. "Oh," she says, looking down at my dick, which is straining to get out of my pants. Sorry buddy, not tonight. "Well, this must be the universe's sign that we should slow down," she says with a slight laugh even though she doesn't look all that happy.

"Goddamn universe," I mutter, which gets me a genuine laugh from her. But she's right. We should probably to take this slower. I smile at her, and take her hands in both of mine. "Thank you for tonight," I say, "Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for dinner and for kissing me and for not leaving when I acted like a jackass."

"Well, if I left as soon as you acted like an ass, I would have never even stepped foot inside your house," she says with a broad smile.

"Well then, thank you for that too," I say after a moment, "Because I'm glad you did."

"So am I," she says looking up at me so tenderly I lose my breath for a second. She reaches out her hand and cups my face, running her thumb across my cheekbone. "Listen to me, Eric. I'm not perfect and I don't expect you to be. But I have a feeling you sabotage yourself by thinking that you are going to mess up, and then when you do- because everyone does- you use that as proof that you don't deserve good things. I don't know much about you, which I hope changes soon, but I have seen enough of you to know what a good and decent man you are. You do deserve good things. Okay?"

She's looking at me and she expects me to say something, I'm sure. But what can I say to that? What can I say about her observation of me that is so dead on it's scary? "Okay," I murmur, bringing her close for a hug. I put my face in her neck again and breathe deeply.

"You like that spot, huh?" she says and I can hear the smile in her voice, though I can't see it. The vibrations of her words against my face tickle, the sweet perfume of her body surrounds me, and the soft warm skin of her neck invites my touch. All these sensations come together to create the perfect place to rest my head.

"Come on, do you want to finish eating?" she says. Oh, I forgot all about eating. I do want to eat but I don't want to let her go. I stand holding her to my body for another silent minute, thankful that she lets me.

"Yeah, let's eat...again."

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**A/N: Do you hate me because they didn't do the deed? This chapter got a lot more angsty than I had intended but Eric is a complex guy. Certain things trigger him and he gets freaked out but I think Sookie can help him through. Sooo, the (rocky) start to their relationship- what do you think?**

**I also want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. There were a lot! And I do plan on responding but I had no time this weekend. So thank you, and I'm sorry again and I hope to thank you personally soon. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 starts from where 11 left off, with Sookie's pov.**

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SOOKIE

I hold Eric's hand as we walk back to the table. This evening has been all kinds of intense. From the flirting to the kissing to the fighting. Whew! I'm ready for a bath and a nap!

I sit down in front of my food, which has now cooled off and needs to be reheated. Since the food in the pot is still warm, I decide I will get two new bowls for us to use. We can figure out what to do with the other stew later. Right now, I'm just so hungry.

"Eric, I'm going to get new bowls for us," I say as I remove his bowl from the table. He just nods. I walk to the kitchen and put our bowls on the counter and get new dishes. Eric is being really quiet, which I've noticed he does when he's upset and thinking. He did it in the hotel restaurant after I mentioned his family and on the airplane, though I don't really know what was wrong then. He was just really quiet and far away for most of the flight and even after. I know after a while he will snap out of it so I will wait him out.

"Here you go, sweetheart," I say as I set a new bowl full of warm stew in front of him. His head snaps up but he doesn't say anything for a second. He just looks at me and I can't figure out what's going through his mind that would make him look like this.

"What is it?" I ask him. I am so done with him feeling bad. I just can't stand it, it's breaking my heart and I want him to be happy. The level of pain on his face is staggering and before I know it, I'm in front of him cradling his head against my stomach. I stroke his hair, which is probably softer than mine. Hmm, I wonder what kind of conditioner he uses...so not the time!

"Don't call me that," he murmurs against me, "Please. That's what she called me." Oh. Goddamn this fucking bitch ruined everything! If I ever meet her, someone's going to have to hold me back or I will rip her head right from her body.

"Eric, I am so so sorry," I say pleadingly. "It's been a hell of an evening, hasn't it?"

He pushes off of me and sits up, smiling slightly. "It sure as hell has," he says.

We just look at each other for a second before both of us crack wide smiles and start laughing. We get the church giggles. You know, the kind of giggles where you are trying your hardest to be quiet but every time you look at the other person, you end up laughing so hard you can't catch your breath. We are just laughing and laughing and it feels so good. Eric has the best laugh, loud and boisterous, and he throws his head back and clutches his stomach. It is the absolute best and I'm so glad to see him happy.

"Ah," I say, as the last of my chuckles leave my body and I relax, "We needed that!"

"We sure as fuck did," he says wiping his eyes, still smiling.

"I love your smile, Eric. It was one of the things that first attracted me to you."

He looks intrigued, "Really?" he says, smiling brighter.

"Yup, really," I say as I move around the table to take my seat. "Well, that and your washboard abs. Really, Eric, when you opened the door without a shirt I was speechless! You're lucky I didn't push you down and have my way with you right then, cause believe me, I thought about it!"

His eyes flash with desire before he says, "Sookie?" looking and sounding inexplicably uncomfortable.

I'm looking at him and I really think he would just remain silent forever if I don't make him spit out whatever he wants to ask. "Out with it, man!" I say playfully.

He hunches his shoulders up and sort of grimaces and I can't imagine what he wants to ask me that has him this uncomfortable.

"Can I come sit next to you?" he mumbles. Seriously? That's it?

"Of course! Come here!" I say resisting the urge to tease him about his ridiculous hesitation in asking. Eric likes to be close and I think he's going to be an excellent snuggler whenever we sleep together.

He grabs his wine glass and his bread and napkin and I lean across the table and pull his bowl to him.

"Thanks!" he says. He's so happy right now and my goal is to keep him happy for the rest of the evening. He grabs my hand and kisses the back of it. "I'm just so happy I get to touch you!"

"God, you're adorable," I say, "You don't even try, you just are. Okay, let's eat!" It's getting really late and we haven't even finished dinner. We both take a few bites without talking. I'm sure Eric is just as hungry as I am.

"This really is delicious, Sookie," he says right before he shovels an absolutely immense bite into his mouth.

"Whoa, slowdown Cowboy! If you choke, I don't think I could Heimlich you," I tease.

He smiles. His mouth is full so he can't talk.

"Hey, Eric. Let's play 20 questions to get to know each other better. Do you want to? I don't even know how old you are and I was ready to..." Ok, I'm not going there but really, I was about to give it up to a guy I've known for two weeks whose age I don't even know. "Anyway, what do you think? We take turns answering, just quickly, nothing that would take too long. If you don't feel comfortable with something you can just say pass. Does that sound good?" I added the pass part for him, since he's sometimes reluctant to share.

He swallows his bite before talking, "Um, okay. Let's try it." He looks pretty nervous but I'm glad he's willing to do it anyway.

"Do you want to go first?" I ask him. Maybe he'll feel more comfortable if he asks the first question.

"Favorite color?" he asks sheepishly.

"No, it's okay. That's a good question. That's exactly what I meant. Just easy questions like that. But, to answer you...I don't even have one. Is that weird? I like the way certain colors look together. Like shades of blues stacked up or a really bright pink next to a Kelly green, or soft blues and greens together like you'd see on a bright day at the beach, I don't know...How about you? What's your favorite color?"

"Well, now I feel totally boring compared to you! Mine's red. Okay, um, do you play any instruments because you sure as hell love Vivaldi!" he laughs. Good, I'm glad he's relaxing.

"Not right now. I used to play the violin but just in school when I was young. I just really love music. Hmm, well ok, how old are you?" I feel really stupid that I don't even know that.

"Thirty- two," he says around a bite of food. "Give me a minute because this is fantastic and I'm so hungry. I can't think of anything to ask right now anyway."

"Sure," I say. "You know, I think it must be your roux making this taste so good," I say with a wink.

"Well, you're just lucky I didn't burn it. Shit, woman! I don't know what you did to me but I couldn't move!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just couldn't help myself. You're really fun to mess with!"

Eric is about to answer me but Annika starts crying from upstairs. He immediately jumps up. "She hardly ever wakes up at night. Let me get her back to sleep. Will you be okay here?"

"Eric, I'm fine. Go get her."

He takes the stairs two at a time and as soon as I hear her door open, she immediately stops crying. I can hear his muffled voice cooing something to her before he goes in and closes the door.

I continue eating while I wait for him to come back down. While I have all this time to myself, I reflect on our evening so far. It seems that Amelia was right about him being gun shy...or something. I'm not exactly sure why he doesn't think he's deserving of a good life. It's more than just his ex I think. I hope he soon feels comfortable opening up to me because I would like to help him. I have had enough therapy in my life to know how much talking helps and how much stuffing things down hurts. After my parents died, my brother and I saw someone for quite a while and it helped a lot.

Amelia told me to give him a break which is why I didn't stay mad at him when he freaked and walked away. Luckily he was in his own house because that was the second time he left me at the table. He couldn't go very far this time, though. He's a runner and I'm going to have to keep that in mind so that I don't give up on him too soon. What I told him about him being a good man is absolutely true. He has so much on his plate and even though he sometimes flies off the handle, when it comes down to it, he is good guy. Does everyone see it but him?

But as good as he is, thank god for no condoms- really! I got a little too carried away there. Judging from the response in his pants, he did too. When he rocked himself against me, holy shit! I wanted to rip his pants down and grab hold of what was inside...with my lady bits...yeah, I'm a hussy. I will have to get back on birth control, though, because sex with no condoms feels so much better. I haven't had a steady boyfriend since Bill and that was two years ago so no need for the pill.

And seriously, can he just live in the crook of my neck? I will shrink him down and carry him around there. It is just the sweetest thing ever the way he buries his precious face there. He just stood there holding me tightly to him, breathing loudly in my neck. I think he would have stayed there all night if I didn't remind him that we hadn't finished eating.

I hear Annika's door close which brings me back to the present and my empty bowl in front of me. He was gone for a long while and I guess I finished eating absentmindedly as I thought.

He comes quickly back to the table and sits down. "That was weird," he says, "So unlike her to wake up and to take so long to get back to sleep." Then he notices my empty bowl and says, "You're finished. Would you like to take your wine and move into the living room with me?"

I look towards the living and then back at Eric, remembering well what almost happened in there.

Sensing my apprehension, he grins and says, "I can behave," then his eyes twinkle and he adds, "As much as you want me to."

I smile at him, happy to see this playful side of him. "Sure," I answer, getting up with my wine glass in hand. He follows me with his own glass, which he tops off before coming to sit next to me on the couch.

"Do you still want to play the questions game?" he asks.

"Sure, it's your turn."

"Okay, what will you do when you graduate?"

"Nothing! Ha! No, I'm going to grad school. Can't really do anything with a neuro degree except go back to school. I like school anyway."

"Which school?" he asks quickly and even though it's not his turn, I will answer him because I think he's trying to figure out how long I'll be around.

"MIT. Same school I'm at now." I hate telling people where I go to school because I always get the inevitable surprise as if they just can't understand how a blonde haired Southern girl with big boobs ever got into MIT. I look at Eric to gauge his reaction and he looks surprised. I'm sure I look as disappointed as I feel. "You're surprised," I say with a sour expression.

"No! I'm happy you will be staying here after you graduate. I know you're smart. I'm not surprised you go to MIT."

I smile sincerely at him, because whether he realizes or not, he just told me he wants me around for the long haul. And that he thinks I'm smart.

"What about Jason?" he asks and I don't really understand the question but I'm happy he remembered my brother's name.

"Jason?"

"Your brother. That's his name, right? Is he smart like you because that story you told..." He trails off towards the end most likely because he doesn't want to insult me by calling my brother stupid.

"Yeah, Jason. He's dumb as a box of rocks but he's a charmer. I think he slept with half the high school girls by the time he graduated and I'm sure he's slept with the rest by now!"

"Oh," he laughs, "That's funny. You guys are so opposite. My brother and I were opposites growing up too!"

"You have a brother?" I look over at him, surprised by his admission, only to see his smile fade. Where he was so open before, he is now closed. Where there was a happy lightness is now dark. Shit.

I reach for him. "Tell me," I gently demand. He needs to talk, why doesn't he see this?

He shakes his head and I think he's going to remain silent. He picks up his full wine glass and chugs the contents.

"Whoa, Eric," I say, "Slow down darlin'"

He wipes the back of his hand across his mouth like a young child drinking Koolaid. He sighs but stays quiet and just when I think he will not talk after all, he starts.

"I have a younger brother," he says. "Sander. He's a junkie. A heroin addict, or at least that's what he was using the last I heard."

He looks so utterly devastated by what he's revealing. I am holding his hand and I want to give him a hug but I don't want to interrupt him. He is inside himself right now, which is where he needs to be so he can let someone else in too. So I sit still and listen quietly, hoping he will keep talking.

"I haven't seen him in so long. I don't know anything about him anymore. He was my best friend growing up and now I don't even know if he's dead or alive."

He says all this with a surprisingly steady voice while looking at the floor. But as he looks up at me, I can see the struggle on his face to maintain his composure.

I reach for his face to touch him gently but he shrinks back so I drop my hand.

"Let's talk about something else," he says.

I smile, "Sure, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

He waves my concern away and says, "So whose turn is it?"

"Yours," I say, surprised he's still willing to play.

He smiles. "Can I kiss you?" he says with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I smile back at him. "Yes," I breathe as he comes closer to me.

He makes his way to me very slowly and very softly presses his lips to mine. He doesn't make a move to deepen the kiss at all. He just very sweetly captures my lips between his, over and over again. His hands go to my hair and he runs his fingers through it. When he stops kissing me, he rests his forehead against mine and with his eyes closed, he breathes steadily until his breaths slow down. I'm surprised he so effected by such a gentle kiss but his breath is sweet as it whispers across my face so I'm not complaining.

When he leans back from me I tell him that it's probably time for me to go home. A flicker of something crosses his face and then he agrees that it's late. I stand up to clean up from dinner and he tells me that he will take care of it.

"You cooked, I'll clean," he says.

I thank him and go to the closet to retrieve my coat and boots.

"It's really late and I know you have a thing with cabs but, Sookie, I would really feel better if you took one tonight. Do you usually go out so late by yourself? That scares me," he says in one breath like he's nervous.

"I usually do, yes. There are always so many people around."

"Sookie, if anything ever happened to you I...I would just feel so much better if I know you'd be safe getting home. Can I call for you? Please?"

"Eric, fine, call me a cab," I say, smiling. Well, if he's going to beg me, I guess I will have to take one. It's not that big of a deal and I don't want him to be scared for me.

"Oh, good," he sighs, relieved. He goes to call and I put on my boots and coat and grab my purse by the door. He comes back out and walks right up to me.

"What are you doing?" I ask playfully.

"Goodnight kiss," he says just before his lips are on mine. We kiss until the cab honks on the street. Well, we kiss after that because even though I try, he won't let me pull away.

"Eric...," I whisper against his mouth.

He steps back reluctantly. "Okay okay, I just don't want to let you go."

"I know...but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," he says after he leans in one last time.

We smile at each other and he watches me from the door as I walk to the cab. I wave before I close the car door and with my fingers on my lips, I relive the feeling of his soft mouth on mine for the whole ride home.

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**A/N: Sorry this one is short but I have most of the next two chapters written so they will most likely be posted soon! **

**Also, a guest reviewer asked a question and since I can't PM them and because others might be wondering, I thought I'd clarify here. Sookie is not on birth control because it's been so long since she's been in a relationship. Eric has no condoms because he hasn't had sex since the one night stand after Sophie left him and he was drunk then. He already has an unplanned baby and he is not about to let that happen again especially with a woman he hardly knows. So even if she was on birth control, he wouldn't have gone farther without a condom. I hope that explains things better!**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's chapter 13- or what I am calling The Nighttime Adventures of the Single Dad. Enjoy, because Eric sure doesn't and he drops enough f-bombs to make that clear. **

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As soon as I close the door, I sink back against it and sigh like a girl. Why am I so happy? Kissing Sookie is one of the best things in this world! That was an awesome end to my otherwise overwhelming day. Seriously, this is like the day from heaven and from hell all at once. I won't survive another one like it.

I have lots of cleaning up to do so I get to it even though I just want to go to bed. I start by putting the stew in the fridge- the whole pot, I just stick it in there. I scrape the dishes and put them into the dishwasher, cork the wine, bag the bread and wipe the table and counters. Never let it be said that Eric Northman is afraid of housework. I can do my share of anything. I do more than my share of parenting!

Tonight with Sookie was certainly intense. I'm so happy that she let me kiss her so much. Her lips are heaven and I want to die so I can stay there forever. I wanted so badly to ask her to stay the night. Not for sex, because we have no protection and because I realize it's better to take things slow- no matter what my dick thinks. And believe me, my dick thinks it's the worst idea in the world. I will need to take care of that later so that I won't wake up to a mess again.

But no, I wanted her to stay so that I could sleep close to her. It's been so long since I've slept next to someone and I miss it. I miss a warm woman in my bed to snuggle up to. I knew Sophie was pulling away from me when she didn't want to sleep in bed with me. That's when our relationship and my sleep went to shit. At first, I believed her excuse of pregnancy making it hard to sleep but then she started to pull away in different ways and I had to face the facts. When I came home from work and she was packing a suitcase, I lost it. I must have begged her for hours to stay, for me and the baby. I thought she was taking my baby away from me too until she told me the real reason for her leaving. That left me reeling and I watched, speechless, as she walked out of my life.

Annika crying upstairs breaks me out of my thoughts of the past. I can already tell that getting into another relationship is going to bring up so many terrible memories of my relationship with Sophie. I'm going to be reliving so many things and I am not looking forward to it. I thought I had successfully put it behind me and I don't want to have to think about it again.

I walk into Annika's room and she is laying in her bed crying. She is usually standing up when I come in to get her and this cry she is making is unlike any I have heard before. She sounds so pitiful and tired and my heart is breaking as I look down on her.

"What's wrong, princess?" I ask as I pick her up. If only she could tell me.

As I bring her up to my shoulder I can tell she is really warm. Shit. Is she sick? This is truly the day from hell. I bring her to her changing table and strip her fleece pajamas off. They cover her whole body so they might be making her hot. I dress her in an undershirt and pick her back up to rock her. She falls quickly back to sleep but when I try to put her down, her little eyes pop open and her face screws up and I pick her quickly back up. I hate when she cries. I hate to see her upset. Shit, I don't know what to do for her. She has never been sick and her only fever was after her last set of vaccinations. I know I have some paperwork from her doctor telling me what her Tylenol dose is. Shit shit shit!

I walk down to the kitchen with Annika, who is making this really sad whimpering sound.

"Baby, I'm going to help you feel better," I tell her, hoping it's true.

I look through the cabinets to find the infant Tylenol and then go back up to my office to find her medical file. Good thing I'm organized even if I can't remember how much she weighs. I find the file and pull out the sheet from her nine month visit. Okay, so twenty- two pounds and that was a month ago. I can't figure out if I should add any weight because she's now ten months old but I figure too little is better than too much. I wouldn't want to OD her. God, that would be a nightmare and that thought makes me double and triple check her dose on the bottle of medicine. Ok, I think I got it right.

I take her back into her room and sit with her in the rocking chair while I squirt the red liquid into her mouth. She makes a retching sound and then the whole contents of her last bottle, the Tylenol and hell, probably half the Charles River comes out of her mouth all over my lap and the floor. Fuck! How she manages to completely avoid herself has me baffled but it doesn't surprise me given my day thus far.

"Oh, princess," I say to her as she begins to cry. Can I cry too? Because that's just what I feel like doing...for probably the hundredth time today. I pull myself together for the hundred and first time and set her down in her crib while I run to my room and strip off my clothes. She is still crying, even harder since I left her, and this is just one of the many reasons I wish her mother had wanted her. She could have helped me and Annika wouldn't be crying alone right now while I frantically stuff my clothes in the hamper. I grab some flannel pants and hop down the hallway, pulling them on as I go. I step carefully over the vomit on the floor and pick up my girl. I hold her tightly to my chest and try to soothe her.

"I'm so sorry," I say, "I guess I didn't make you feel better. I'm so sorry, baby, I will do better."

I have the thought that maybe I should see how high her temperature is. Maybe she doesn't need the medicine and I won't have to try to get her to take it again. I don't know why I didn't take her temperature first. God, I'm no good at this. I don't deserve this precious thing, I'm going to break her.

I take her with me as I search for the thermometer. The hospital gave me one of those long thin ones and when they showed me how to use it I nearly passed out. There is no way in hell I was going to stick _that_ anywhere near _there_. So I picked up the kind that you swipe across the forehead since I read it was easy and accurate. Now I just have to find it. Of course, I find it right where I found the Tylenol and I don't know how I didn't see it and think to use it before. I guess I'm just really bad at this.

"I'm sorry, Anni," I say to her again.

Her head is just laying against my shoulder but she's not asleep. I'm so worried about her. At what point do you call the hospital? Okay, maybe I'm jumping the gun a little. I should probably take her temperature first. I grab the thermometer and sit with her at the table. I swipe the thing across her forehead, which makes her cry again because I have to move her. God, I suck at this. I bet Sookie would be much better at this. If it wasn't after midnight I'd ask her to come help me. But, I will just have to man up and take care of things. Yes, I can do that!

I look at the thermometer after I swipe her head and it says: BAT. What the fuck? What the fuck does that mean? Oh goddamn! This thing needs fucking batteries? I've only used it once or twice. If Annika wasn't miserable on my lap, I think I would be screaming curse words right now. As it is, I'm mumbling them under my breath, hoping she's too tired to pick up on any. It would be just my luck, and a testament to this shitastic day, if she learned her first bad word today.

Okay, so batteries. I think I have a drawer for those. I go to the kitchen and rifle through the junk drawer until I find two batteries that will fit. Do you know how hard it is to juggle a baby, two batteries, and a fucking thermometer? Well, it's damn near impossible to get batteries into this thing while holding Annika. I can't put her down though, because I don't want her to cry anymore. So, it takes me about five minutes to get this damn thing working and then I have to move Anni again so I can swipe it across her head again.

This time when I look at the display it reads: 103.4 and I think my heart stops as I look at it. That's really fucking high, right? I think so. Last time it was only 101 point something and the doctor told me to give her Tylenol. What am I going to do if she won't take the Tylenol? Maybe a bath with cool water? Yes, that's a good idea. That's smart, right? Maybe I'm not rubbish at this.

Except once I have the bath drawn, and I stick her in, she will not stop screaming. She's arching her back and she won't sit her bum down. She's acting like the water is burning her but that can't be true because it's much cooler than her other baths. So what is a daddy to do? Why, get in the bath, is my brilliant idea. So, now I'm sitting in the bathtub with Annika sitting on my wet flannel pants because my brilliant idea did not include taking off my own clothes. Whatever. Maybe I'm not supposed to bathe with my baby girl anyway? I don't know the rules about these kinds of things. Anyway, the bath is not going well because every time I scoop up a handful of water and pour it onto Annika, she freaks out and claws at me like she needs to get away from the water. She usually loves baths so I don't understand what is going on.

So, this is not working out so I stand up with her and grab a towel for her. I shimmy out of my pants, which is really fucking hard because they are flannel and they are wet. I leave them on the bathroom floor. I'll get them later. Annika is shivering and I need to get some clothes on her. But do I put her back into the fleece? Probably not since she's already too warm. As soon as I lay her down, she starts screaming again so I quickly pick her back up and grab another undershirt and diaper. It is really fucking hard to put a diaper on a baby on your lap. We're just lucky it stays up as I pick her back up. I drop her towel over the vomit on the floor, which is all the clean up I can manage right now.

Now I need to get myself some dry clothes, though I don't know how I'm going to get dressed while I'm holding her. I end up making silly faces and dancing around like a fool in front of her as she sits on the bed, while I pull on a tank top and another pair of flannel pants. At least she didn't cry but I did forget underwear. Oh well, I'm not starting over. I pick up Anni and go downstairs to get the thermometer and figure out where I left the Tylenol.

I really don't want to have her throw up another dose. Maybe if I give her a tiny bit at a time she will be okay. Last time I tasted it and it is pretty bitter despite the disgusting syrupy taste. Her temperature is only slightly lower so I try to get a dose of Tylenol into her very slowly. It's working somewhat but I feel bad because she keeps turning her face away and she's starting to get really mad at me.

"I'm sorry, Anni," I say once again. I hate this. I hate doing things to her that make her unhappy. She doesn't understand what's happening. She must wonder why I'm being so mean to her. Oh god, why did I have to think that? Now I feel like crying all over again because she thinks I'm being mean when I'm supposed to love her.

This time, when Anni makes a slight retching sound I decide I'm done trying to force it down her throat. They must make something that babies like better than this wretched stuff. Maybe I can mix it with something?

I look in the fridge in case some juice or something magically appeared but I have no suck luck. Fuck! Well, it's not like I thought I could wish things into existence. If I could, I'd wish for Sookie to be here right the fuck now. I'm floundering and I need her. I need her? I need her.

Okay, so maybe baby food. I wonder if she'll eat right now. I look in the cabinet and find some applesauce and decide that maybe she'd eat that with Tylenol mixed in. It's worth a try.

She eats a bite. A bite. And I had mixed the whole thing in with the remaining Tylenol. So she's had half a dose and about a fiftieth of another half dose. This is ridiculous. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

I get another half dose and squirt it all onto a spoon then cover it with applesauce and she accepts it. Oh thank god! I kiss her hot little cheeks and smile because that ordeal is finally over. Now, we just have to get some sleep.

I bring the Tylenol upstairs with us and as I pick it up, I read that it says she will need another dose in as little as four hours. Four fucking hours? No fucking way! This is so fucking stupid! My stuff lasts much longer than that! Don't these Tylenol makers know how fucking hard it is to get their fucking medicine into a baby? Goddamn these fucking bastards. Okay, so I may be a little pissed off. My temper might be getting the better of me right now but I have had a hard day and I'm tired and emotionally drained so I feel like I'm entitled to a few muttered f-bombs.

Well, screw sleep, apparently. At least that's what Annika thinks. Every time I think she's asleep and I try to put her down, she immediately starts crying. Is this how normal babies are? Have I just been incredibly lucky that she is so easy going? Thank fuck she is not like me!

Okay, so maybe if she won't sleep in her bed, she will sleep in mine. Because I have got to get some sleep. I was at work late tonight getting ready for a huge important meeting tomorrow and I can't go in on no sleep. But I have no idea how I'm supposed to sleep with Annika in my bed. Do I put pillows around her? I don't want her to fall off the bed and given this day, that's exactly what would happen. An idea flashes through my mind so I push my bed into the wall with my legs, since I'm carrying Anni. Shit, I think I ruined my fucking wood floors. It's fine, totally worth it if she sleeps.

Which of course, she doesn't, because this day wants to go on forever. Thanks universe. You could at least get me some KY if you want to fuck me so thoroughly. Couldn't let me fuck Sookie but you sure as hell love to fuck me. Annika looks up at me and I realize I'm talking out loud. Shit!

"Anni, you have to know by now what a fu- what an idiot I am. I'm sorry you're stuck with me," I tell her but of course, she doesn't understand. One day she'll know all about me and I hope she'll still love me even if I keep making mistakes that I have to apologize for.

So, it looks like Annika doesn't want to lay down. She keeps falling asleep against my shoulder so maybe the next time she's asleep I'll just sit down somewhere and try to get some sleep sitting up. I pace around with her until I think she's asleep and then sit on the edge of my bed to see what will happen. Immediate crying. Shit. I stand back up and try again, this time waiting longer before I sit down. More crying. Does she hate me? She must hate me already.

Thinking that maybe she likes the movement of my pacing, I go sit in her rocking chair the next time I think she's asleep. Ahh, not a peep. The only problem is that I have to keep rocking or she starts this whimpering thing that will turn into full blown crying if I stop. Besides, I'm about to fall asleep and I feel like I might drop her if I do. What I wouldn't give for one of those fabric pouch things I see people using to keep their babies close to their bodies. If I wasn't so tired, I'd try to MacGyver one of those things with a sheet and some duct tape.

Finally, the universe smiles on me or I pace long enough or Annika decides she likes me and she finally stays asleep when I sit on my bed. Do I push my luck and try to lay down? I don't think I'll risk it. Instead I grab all my pillows and stack them on the side opposite Annika so I can sort of fall over to the side and sleep semi-upright. It will have to do because by now I only have about three hours to sleep.

I had three hours, except Annika wakes me after two. It's six am and I feel like I dug and then was buried in my own grave only to dig myself out again. Tired. I'm so fucking tired.

I've dialed Sookie's number before I even remember thinking that I could call her now to ask for help. Well, it's ringing so I shouldn't hang up now.

"Hello?" she answers, sounding like she just woke up because, well, I'm sure she did.

I'm tired and apparently incoherent because I find myself rambling about Annika and me not sleeping. And I think I ask her to come over but I mean, who the fuck knows anymore.

When I hang up with her I have no idea what I told her and I don't even know if she said she was coming. Now I have to get another dose of medicine into this baby and I want to cry just thinking about it. Could I put it in her milk? Maybe oatmeal. If she'll eat. She's still in my arms and this is the only time I've ever wished she didn't get my gene for tallness. My arms are aching at this point. I've been holding her for hours now.

When my doorbell rings a half hour later and I open it to find Sookie standing there, I am so relieved I want to throw myself at her. I have never been so pleased so see anyone at any time in my entire life. Maybe I'm exaggerating but shit, I'm really fucking glad to see her.

She is an angel and she's here to help me and I just want to hand her Annika and lay down right the fuck here on the floor in front of the door. I thank her for coming and tell her a little about our night and she starts asking me questions that I probably answer but I can't be sure. She smiles at me and takes Annika from my arms and tells me to go to bed. Yes. Bed. I walk upstairs like a zombie and fall into my bed.

The next thing I know, my alarm is beeping and it's time to get up. I shower quickly and make my way downstairs to the glorious smell of coffee. She's an angel. She's a coffee making angel.

"Eric!" Sookie says loudly. What? Why is she yelling at me? Oh. Well, it's not my fault I'm dressed only in underwear. I'm on basically no sleep and I was just following the smell of the coffee. She's lucky I'm not naked.

"Sorry," I mumble, turning around to leave and get dressed. I swear I hear her curse under her breath but I could be hallucinating.

"No, here," she holds out a cup of coffee, "Take it with you. And be quiet. Annika is asleep in her room and it took forever!"

I sip the coffee as I walk and it is fixed the exact way I like it. How the fuck did she do that? Maybe she really is an angel.

I drink my coffee as I get dressed and by the time I'm finished, I feel somewhat human again and at least mostly coherent. I walk quietly into Annika's room to peek at her before I leave for work and she looks peaceful in her crib. As I turn to walk out, I realize that the towel I put on the floor last night is no longer there and neither is what was underneath it. Did Sookie clean that up? That was really nice of her. I take a quick look in the bathroom and discover that she drained the tub and picked up my wet pants also. And the washing machine is going so she must have started a load. She is absolutely heaven sent and I am so lucky she likes me though I can't figure out why she does.

I walk downstairs to thank her and say goodbye to her and as I come up to her, I see she is on the phone...talking to Annika's doctor...how the fuck? But then I see Annika's medical file open on the table. She must have found it in Anni's room. Forget angel, I'm going to throw myself at her feet because she is obviously a goddess.

I go in search of more coffee but she taps me on the shoulder and wordlessly hands me a travel mug. Huh, I have a travel mug? Well, that's good because I need it!

As soon as she's off the phone we are both talking at once. I'm trying to thank her for everything she did this morning and she's telling me she made Anni an appointment for later today, which I was going to do when I got to work.

"You're welcome," she says, touching my arm, "It looks like you had a really hard night. Next time, call me. I would have come right over."

"Thanks, yeah it was rough. Thank you for making her appointment. Let me give you cab fare. I would come with you but I have to be in a meeting. Please call me after and let me know how it goes. Let me know what's wrong with her?"

"I will," she says with a smile. She leans in and caresses my face like she does sometimes. "You're worried."

"Yes," I sigh, "She's never been sick."

"Well, I took her temperature and it's down some from last night. It was 102 when I checked. It's probably just a virus or an ear infection. She'll be fine. Did she throw up the Tylenol? I'm going to get some Ibuprofen for her. That tastes much better. Leave me her insurance card in case I need to pick up meds for her and try to come home early because you look tired, you poor thing."

I don't know what I ever did to deserve her and as I stand here looking at her I blurt out the only thing that's been running through my mind since she got off the phone, "I love you!"

Oh, fuck.

I blame my lack of sleep and the resulting absence of mental filter for my declaration. I don't love her, not really. Shit.

She stares at me for a second looking stunned and then she laughs a little and pats my arm. "Go to work, hun. Because you need to come home and sleep. I'll call you after her appointment."

"Thanks," I mumble. I grab my coat and briefcase and take Annika's insurance card from my wallet and she comes over with my coffee. She stands on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek and say goodbye and I walk out the door to my car.

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**A/N: So he survived his first night alone with a sick baby. Anyone who's been there knows how hard it is and how useless you can feel sometimes because you just can't get this little thing to feel better and you probably don't even know what's wrong. And in case you don't know, the thermometer that Eric refuses to use is the rectal kind. I was not down with those either and bought the temporal kind like he uses. Much easier. **

**Thank you so much for reading and for the reviews and alerts! Thanks also for those reviewers that converse with me- it helps me with ideas and I appreciate it and enjoy the conversations.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I was going to wait on this chapter but I am so happy to reach 300 reviews and 200 followers that I worked hard to get it out today. So thank you all! I really appreciate your interest in my story! **

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SOOKIE

It's 6 am when my phone rings. I look at the caller ID between squinted eyes and see that it's Eric. Why would he be calling me this early? I answer the phone and he just starts rambling. I get that Annika is sick and has been up all night with a fever. He has to be in for a big meeting at work and he's on no sleep. He wonders if I could come an hour early so he can sleep for an hour before work. He sounds so desperate and exhausted, I tell him I'll get dressed and leave right away. He tells me to take a cab and he'll pay for it.

When I get there he opens the door looking, well, like crap. I've never seen him look so haggard. He has Annika laying against his shoulder and her little cheeks are bright red. Eric's hair is sticking up and he's wearing a tank top and pajama pants. If he didn't look so tired I'd be admiring his arms in said tank top. Ok, I might be eyeing his arms anyway, I love him in tank tops. And damn, I don't think he's wearing underwear. Again? Ok, focus!

"Thank you so much," he whispers when I step inside. "She won't sleep unless I'm holding her but if I lay down with her she wakes up. I don't know what to do. She's never been sick before." I can see the worry in his face.

"What's her temperature and when's the last time she had medicine?" I ask. "Did you call her doctor?"

He looks so relieved to have someone to help him. He answers my questions with a glazed look on his face and I realize he needs to go lay down before he falls down. I take Annika from him because I'm sure his arms are about to give way.

"Go to bed, Eric," I tell him. "Make sure your alarm is set. Then we'll make her an appointment to be seen today, okay?"

He doesn't answer me. He just walks upstairs slowly without a word. Poor guy.

Annika stirs a little so I decide to take her temperature. Eric said it was over 103 last night but it's 102 now and it will go down as the Tylenol has time to work since he just gave it to her. I go upstairs with her to see if I can get her to lay down. I pass Eric's room and for the first time, his door is open slightly. From what little I can see, it looks like he passed out face first on his bed. He's not even all the way on it. He must be so exhausted.

I get to Annika's room and step over a wet towel on the floor. After swaying with her for a couple minutes I lay her down really slowly and pat her back when she whimpers. She quiets down and stays quiet as long as I pat her. I stand and pat her for what seems like hours but is probably in reality about 15 minutes. Then I back slowly away and she stays asleep. Phew!

I go to pick up the towel and realize that it's covering a big mess. What the heck did Eric have to deal with last night? Yuck. I wipe as much up as I can with the towel and take it immediately to the washing machine. Then I go back with some cleaning spray and a washcloth to wipe the rest.

As I pass the bathroom, I notice some rumpled pants on the floor so I go to get those and discover they are soaking wet. How did this happen? I notice the tub has water in it and drain it. Did he take a bath in his clothes? Okay. He must have been desperate. I wish he would have called me. Into the machine go the wet pants and the bath towel on the floor.

After I tidy up the applesauce and drips of red medicine in the kitchen and dining room, I decide to make Eric some coffee for when he wakes up. I'm afraid to let him drive with how tired he is. After rummaging through the cabinets I find an unopened bag of coffee and some filters. I even find a travel mug tucked into the corner behind the coffee. I watched him make his coffee in the hotel room so I know he likes a little sugar and lots of cream. When he comes down, I'll make him a cup.

Shit! I didn't think he'd come down barely dressed. I don't think he even realizes he's only wearing underwear -very tight, very red underwear- because when I say his name loudly, he seems just as startled as me to discover his state of dress. He mumbles an apology and then turns around to go back upstairs.

_Holy fuck_!

Oh crap! I think I said that out loud! It's just that I can't tell which view is better, his front or his delicious backside. His butt is mmm, I don't even know. I can't even find a word for it...I just want to bite it! Shoot, calm down, Sookie.

I tell him to wait while I fix his coffee and then I hand it to him so he can drink it while he gets dressed. Once he goes upstairs - and I certainly did not watch his ass flex while he walked up all twelve of his steps- I pour more coffee into his travel mug and set it on the table for him to take to work.

He is obviously still out of it and I found Annika's pediatrician information so I call her doctor to make her an appointment. I have no problem taking her because Eric will be busy today.

When he comes back down, he's dressed and seems more with it. He thanks me for cleaning up and I tell him I made Annika an appointment.

He asks me to call him after to let him know what's wrong with her and his face is lined with worry as he runs his hand through his hair in an unconscious gesture of the stress he is under. Now that I can touch him, I pet his face, running my fingers across his eyebrows so that his furrowed brow will relax.

I try to help his worry by telling him it's probably nothing serious and that I will pick up whatever she needs. I also tell him to come home early, not that I think he'll listen to me, but he looks like he is about to fall over. And with the way he closed his eyes and leaned into me when I touched his face, I'm surprised he's staying upright.

"I love you!" he says suddenly. After a brief moment of shock, I look at his face and the expression he's making is so adorable. He looks scared and embarrassed, and his cheeks are red and it just endears him to me even more.

I know he's just grateful for my help and is too tired to properly filter his words. What a sweetheart, though I'm careful not to call him that. I pat him and tell him to go to work so he can come home and sleep.

He says nothing beyond a mumbled thank you. I hand him the travel mug of coffee he left on the table and kiss his cheek and he's off.

I have about an hour to get Annika to her appointment so I let her sleep for another half hour, then wake her, dress her, and call a cab. Her fever seems to have gone down some more, which is good. The doctor is just down the street near the hospital so it doesn't take long to get there.

She lays her head down on me as soon as we get into the office. When I try to lay her on the doctor's table she clings to me, which is the first time I've really ever seen her less than happy to interact with anyone who smiles at her. I keep my hand on her while the doctor looks her over and that seems to make her feel better. The doctor doesn't have the best bedside manner and he hardly talks to her or me. He seems thorough though, and after looking into her ears and mouth and checking her over, he says she has a virus. Maybe fifth disease but we won't know until after the fever runs it's course. If she has that, her cheeks will stay red for a while and she might have a rash. He says to keep giving her bottles but not to worry if she won't eat solid foods. Just make sure she has enough wet diapers and give her a fever reducing medicine. I thank him and take Annika to the waiting room to check out.

I can tell the two ladies behind the desk are curious about who I am. As soon as I checked in with Annika Northman, I suddenly had all their attention. God, Eric has women fawning over him when he's not even around!

"I'm her nanny," I say to put them out of their misery. They look all surprised like they have no idea why I would tell them because they aren't wondering. Yeah, right.

"Well, we'll send Eric, oh I mean Mr. Northman, the bill," one of them says. The way she says his name is nauseating.

"Thanks," I say with a big fake smile. I dress Annika for the cold and put my own coat on and get the heck out of there. Jeez, everyone likes Eric. And he likes me?

There is a drug store next door to the hospital so I pick up some ibuprofen for Annika and then we head home. I spend the rest of the day walking around with Annika or patting her back or collapsed on the couch when she finally sleeps. She is usually so happy and her extreme crankiness today must mean she really doesn't feel good. Poor little girl. I feel so bad and there's not much I can do for her. At least she takes the Motrin well.

Eric comes walking in the door from work at around two o'clock, looking awful. He looks ten times worse than this morning. His face is red, his eyes are glassy, and he looks so so tired. I immediately walk up to him and help him with his coat and briefcase.

Pam comes walking in a moment later.

"Did you bring him home?" I ask, surprised to see her.

She nods. "He is in no shape to drive."

No wonder he was so out of it this morning. He must be sick too.

"Eric, sit down," I say, leading him to the couch. I put the back of my hand on his forehead and then run my palms down his face to his neck to see if he has a fever. He makes a sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan and closes his eyes, leaning back on the couch.

"You have a fever. Stay right here," I tell him.

I walk back over to Pam, who is still next to the door watching us with a strange expression.

"Listen, Sookie," she says quietly, "He will need help tonight. He needs someone to take care of him and help with the baby. Can you do that?"

"Yes, of course," I say. I would love to take care of him.

"Good," she says, her demeanor lightening a little bit, "And make sure he stays home tomorrow. I cleared his schedule already and he needs the rest. He's going to fight you on it, but keep him home, okay? I will come get him for work on Thursday morning as long as he feels better."

"I will, Pam, thanks."

She nods and then looks as if she's debating something with herself. Finally after standing there for a couple seconds in silence, she says, "Walk me to my car." It's not a request.

I follow her out the door wondering what she wants from me. She walks briskly to her car a few spaces down the street. She stops to lean against the car to wait for me to catch up. I had to put my shoes on so I'm a few steps behind her.

"What did you want?" I ask her.

"Don't fuck with him, Sookie," she says to me, giving me a hard look.

"Excuse me?" I say. What the heck?

"With Eric. I don't know what's going on with you two, maybe you think it would be fun to try and fuck your boss. I don't care what you two do, really, but you'd better make sure he understands what it is. If he is just a quick fuck to you and you'll be moving on when you start school again, make sure he knows that."

The whole time she's been talking I've been trying to interrupt her to tell her she is wrong. She is so wrong about what this is, but when she finally pauses, I guess I am angry because I interject with, "Whoa, Pam! I know you know Eric much better than I do but I don't think what we are doing is any of your business!"

Yikes! Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I think her temper is as bad as Eric's. Her eyes narrow as she looks back at me.

"Listen, blondie," she says, which is funny coming from her because she's blonde too, "Eric is like family to me. He is the best man I know, even if he can't see it. And I'm telling you not to jerk him around. He can't take it, no matter how big and strong you think he is and I will not let him get hurt again. Do you understand?"

Am I supposed to answer her? "Yes!" I say, "I understand! I like him, Pam. A lot. I don't want to hurt him. I want to keep seeing him after I go back to school."

Her face softens a little and she smiles slightly, "Good. I knew we would be friends. Just be patient with him Sookie. He had a really hard time after Annika's mom left."

"Sophie?"

"Yes, did he tell you about her?" I nod. She looks surprised.

"Did he tell you about his family?"

"He told me a little about his brother," I say, wondering if there's more to tell.

"Well, there's more, but it's not my place to tell you. He just deserves so much better than the hand life has dealt him. There was a point when he didn't have either of them, after Sophie left him but before Annika was born. I have never seen anyone hurt as much as he did. He doesn't deserve that. Not then, and certainly not ever again. So, figure out what you want from him, Sookie, and don't let him love you if you don't have plans to love him back. I like you...I wouldn't want to have to put a hit out on you." She laughs and so do I but I'm actually a little afraid she is serious. I sure as hell would not want to cross her.

"Pam, I'm not going to lead him on. I really like him. I think he's a great person and I want to be with him. You don't have to worry about me."

She smiles at me, a warmer smile than I've ever seen on her face before. "I'm glad, Sookie. I'll see you on Thursday." She gives me a tiny hug and then gets in her car to leave.

I go inside and take off my coat and shoes and shake off my nerves from that strange conversation. At least he has someone looking out for him. I walk back over to Eric, who is slumped onto the arm of the couch looking really sick.

"Eric," I say softly because his eyes are closed, "Have you been like this all day?" He shouldn't have worked through this.

"Well, everyone told me I look like hell so maybe?" he says, sitting up and leaning his head back on the couch.

"Well, Annika is asleep so let me help you." He nods, eyes still closed. He looks miserable.

"You need to go to bed. I'm going to help you get to your room and then I'll get you some medicine, okay?"

He nods again and opens his eyes. He starts to stand up and it takes him two tries, the second with my hand under his arm. I put my arm around his waist and we walk side by side through the house and up the stairs. The door to his bedroom is almost always closed so I ask him if I can open it.

"It's okay," he says, "You can come in."

His room is very bare. There is only a bed, a dresser and one bedside table. His bed is pushed into the wall and from the scuff marks on the floor, it wasn't done very carefully. There is a stack of four pillow in the middle of it next to the wall.

I help him sit down on his bed. He can't rest in his suit but I don't really know if I should undress him. He's just so miserable so I feel like I should help him. I slip my hands under his suit jacket and push it off his shoulders and then loosen and remove his tie. I can't help but remember the last time I did this. That was for very different reasons.

"Eric? You'll have to manage your shirt and pants, okay?" I feel like I'm talking to a child because he seems so out of it right now. His eyes are closed again and he reaches for the buttons on his shirt. His fingers are fumbling badly with them and he's not managing to get any of the buttons undone. I gently stop his hands with mine and kneel in front of him to help him with his shirt. This is not how I imagined it would go when I finally got to undress him.

As soon as I get one button undone, his eyes fly open and he just looks at me. He watches me the whole time I'm there unbuttoning and it's kind of unnerving.

"I'm not doing your pants," I say with a laugh to lighten the mood under the weight of his stare. He gives me a faint smile and reaches to undo his pants. Um, I don't think he would normally take off his pants in front of me but he is not thinking clearly right now.

"Wait," I say. "Let me get you some pajamas. Which drawer?"

"Top," he says, dropping his hands to the bed.

I retrieve a tank top and soft gray pants and place them on the bed next to him.

"Get dressed, okay? I'm going to go get you some water and medicine." I had seen some Motrin in one of the cabinets in the kitchen. I probably should take his temperature, so I grab the thermometer too. I fill a glass with water and bring it up. I hope he's dressed by the time I get there.

When I walk in he's laying in his bed with the sheets over the lower half of his body. I hand him the Motrin and then the glass and watch while he swallows. After placing the glass on his nightstand I go to the bathroom and run some cool water on a washcloth.

When I get back to his room, his eyes are closed again but his brow is furrowed like he's in pain.

"Are you okay, Eric?" I say.

"I'm okay. It's just my head and my eyes hurt. I'm sure I'll be fine soon. Thank you. You can go home now if you want." His voice is weak and tired.

"Close your eyes, honey, let me help you feel better," I say as I fold the washcloth in thirds and gently place it over his eyes. I put my hands on his head to massage his scalp and as I gently move my fingers through his hair, his eyes flutter closed and he sighs. He has really awesome thick, soft hair and it feels nice flowing over my fingers. He likes what I'm doing if the happy purring coming from him is any indication. It makes me smile.

"I think I should stay," I tell him as I tickle his scalp. "If Annika wakes up, there is no way you can take care of her. And she's been asleep for a while so she will wake up soon. She's been cranky all day so let me stay and take care of her for you." I want to take care of him too but I know that his priority is Annika and he will be more okay if I spin it this way.

I remove the washcloth and go back to the bathroom to re-wet it. He looks at me with a soft expression as if he's thankful that I will be here to let him rest. He looks like hell and he needs the sleep. I sit next to him on the bed and run the cool washcloth over his forehead and down his cheeks to his neck. His tank top has a very low scoop neck so I slide the washcloth down from his neck to his chest. There is no sound in the room apart from our breathing and I find myself matching the rhythm of my breath to his as I watch his chest move. I slowly run the washcloth across his chest and then refold it to find a cool spot because his skin is so hot. I can feel the heat radiating off of him. I slide the cool side down his shoulder, over his bicep and down his forearm to his wrist and then repeat the same motion on his other arm. As I reach his wrist, he grabs my hand before I can move it away. He opens his eyes and looks at me with an expression I can't make out but it nearly takes my breath away. This would be incredibly sexy if he wasn't so sick. His mouth curves slowly into a smile.

"Thank you," he says in a voice between a whisper and a sigh. I nod and smile back at him. I don't know what this is I'm feeling towards him but I like taking care of him. It feels right.

"Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?" I ask and he shakes his head. "Okay," I say, "Try to sleep. I'll check on you later." And then I bend down and kiss his forehead. He looks so sweet and sad laying there.

He is just looking at me and he watches while I walk to his door and slowly close it.

As soon as I'm downstairs I call Amelia, both to freak out and to ask her to come round with some clothes for me.

"Where will you sleep?" she asks me.

"There is a daybed in Annika's room that I can sleep on. I have no idea what's in the office but I don't want to bother him to ask."

"Why don't you just sleep in his bed?" she asks like it's no big thing.

"Um, because he didn't invite me into his bed! Plus he's sick so it's not exactly romantic."

"Exactly! That takes the pressure off. It's just sleeping."

"I don't know, Amelia. Maybe if he asks me." She has a point. It would be nice to sleep next to him even if I would risk getting sick. But I'd surely be able to keep my hands off him since he's so miserable.

"Okay, give me an hour and I'll be there." I thank her and we hang up.

By the time Amelia gets here, Annika is awake and she seems to be doing a little better. She's not as unhappy though she still wants to be held.

"She is beautiful," Amelia says as she comes into the living room with my bag. "She looks like her dad?"

"She has his features but he's blonde. But they are both beautiful," I tell her.

She smiles. "Well, here's your stuff. I hope I didn't forget anything. Let me know if you need anything else. You are so nice to take care of them like this. I hope he thanks you properly," she says with a wink.

I laugh, "Maybe when he feels better." We say goodbye and she leaves.

I play with Annika and feed her and then put her back to sleep, which is getting easier.

When I go to check on Eric, he is sleeping. I would normally just let him rest but it looks like his fever broke and he is so sweaty. His pillow is damp and his shirt is wet and sticking to him. I can't leave him like that. I get another shirt from his top drawer and sit next to him on his bed.

"Eric, " I say softly. He doesn't move. I put my hand on his cheek and say his name again. He moves into my touch and makes a funny purring sound. God, this man just makes me smile.

I try again, gently tapping his cheek and saying his name in a normal voice. He opens his eyes and when he sees me, he smiles.

"I think your fever broke but now you're all sweaty. I'm going to help you change your shirt, okay?"

"Thanks," he says softly. He makes a move to take his shirt off and I help him lift it over his head. While his head is up, I reach behind him and remove his pillow. I lean over him to get the pillow on the other side of his bed and as I'm reaching for it, I realize that I'm basically laying on top of Eric and his face is pressed to my breasts. Because he's been sweating, his scent is stronger and sweeter and I cant think straight for a second. As I place the new pillow under his head and he lays back, he looks at me with that same expression as before and I can't pry my eyes away from his. I reach my hand out and put my palm on his cheek and just look at him. He is sweaty, his face is flushed, his hair is a complete mess, but he is still the most beautiful man I have ever seen. I run my thumb across his eyebrow and he closes his eyes. I lean forward and kiss each eyelid gently, liking the small sound he makes when he feels my lips. When I sit up, he opens his eyes and his expression is surprisingly intense. How he can look so lustful and so miserable at the same time is baffling. I smile at him and try not to let my eyes wander down his bare chest, which is really difficult.

I grab his clean t-shirt and help him get it over his head and down his body. As I'm pulling the shirt all the way down, I graze his erection under the sheets with the back of my hand. I hear his sharp intake of breath. I'm trying to ignore it because he's sleepy and sick and I know sometimes men don't have much control over that part of their body. So I pretend I didn't feel it but I know I'm breathing harder than normal because, damn, I would love to help him out with that part of his body. There's probably a rule against giving hand jobs to men with high fevers, right?

He closes his eyes. "Sorry," he whispers.

"Don't be. You can't help it," I say with a smile, "I'm irresistible." I know I'm not, but I'm trying to lighten the mood so that he doesn't feel bad and so that I don't jump him.

He smiles his magical smile, as I've come to call it, and I grin back at him. I get up with the promise to come see him again soon. He needs to sleep now.

I walk out of the room and as soon as I close the door, I take a deep breath in and all my confidence flies out with my exhale. I lean my head back against the wall with a thud. Never in my life have I wanted someone as much as I want Eric Northman. This taking it slow business is going to slowly kill me.

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**Thanks for reading! I enjoyed all the reviews commiserating with Eric and his night from hell. I have certainly been there too!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's chapter 15, which is Eric's pov. It starts when he leaves his house for work on Tuesday morning after his wakeful night with Annika. **

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ERIC

Tired. So fucking tired. I made it to work only because I've driven it so many times that I can go on autopilot by now. I am in such a fog but I need to get ready for this meeting. I have a presentation to give and right now I'm not even sure I will be able to stand up for long enough to do that. Let alone talk.

I walk through the building to my office and as soon as Pam sees me, she jumps up and comes over to me.

"Eric, you look like shit. What's the matter?" she says as she takes my arm and walks with me into my office.

"Annika is sick. I barely slept. I _feel_ like shit, thank you for noticing," I smirk.

"Is she okay? Sookie is with her?"

"Sookie is my angel," I tell her without thought. Filter's still misplaced I guess.

She looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Annika has a fever. Sookie's taking her to the doctor. She should call when I'm in the DeCastro meeting. If it's something bad, interrupt me, okay?"

"How do I know what's bad?"

"Sookie will know. Ask her if you should interrupt me."

"Okay, are you sure you can give the presentation? You kind of look like hell, Eric."

"Thanks. I'll be fine. I have to be."

I am. I push through my fatigue and get through the meeting. Pam did not interrupt me so as I walk back to my office, I wonder what Sookie found out from the doctor. I get to my desk and collapse into my chair.

Pam follows me in and tells me that Annika has a virus and should be fine in a couple days. Good. I'm so glad it's nothing bad. My worst nightmare is something happening to her. It's my job to protect her and I would never forgive myself if I couldn't.

"Why don't you go home?" says Pam.

"It's not even lunch time," I tell her. I have never left work early and I don't plan to now. I can just down some more coffee and get through this day.

But by lunch time, my head is pounding and no amount of coffee is helping it or my burning eyes. I can barely look at my computer screen. Pam comes in with my lunch and my stomach turns at the thought of eating even though I just requested it.

"Go. Home." she orders, looking at my slumped body and grimacing face.

"I can't," I protest weakly.

"You can. I'm driving you. Relax for a bit while I finish something up and then I'm taking you home. Do you want this?" she says, holding out my lunch.

"Ugh," I groan.

"See, you're refusing food, your favorite too, you must be sick!" she shakes her head as she walks out to her desk.

I have never been so happy to be home. I can't even remember getting here but I'm glad I am. I remember Sookie bringing me over to the couch and putting her hands on me. I wanted to collapse into her and ask her to carry me to bed. But where did she go? I can't stay upright anymore so I lean over to rest my head.

I hear her come back to me and she asks me something. I'm pretty sure I answer her and then she says I should go to bed. Yes. That's where I want to be.

She helps me to my room and I sit on my bed. My head hurts so much more because of my effort in climbing the stairs. She takes off my jacket and my tie. My shirt, she wants me to do. I try. My eyes won't open. I'm so tired. I try to get the buttons open and then I feel her cool hands on mine and then she's kneeling between my legs and she's opening my shirt. I watch her face, she's watching me. My angel, so beautiful. I like when she touches me, I like everything she does to me.

She tells me to take off my pants and I try but I stop when she says to wait. She wants me to put some pajamas on. But now she's leaving. Where is she going? Is she coming back? I hope she comes back.

I don't sleep with pants on but she gave me some. I put on the tank top and climb under the covers and now I have no more strength. I wait, trying to stay awake because I want Sookie back.

Just as I'm drifting off, I hear her come back. She puts something on my forehead. The thermometer. She makes a noise and then hands me some pills and some water so I swallow them and then lie back on my pillow. It feels so cool on my neck and shoulders.

She's asking me something else. How I feel? I tell her my head hurts because it's pounding with every move I make. But she should go home now. She doesn't have to take care of me anymore. I'll just sleep.

Ohh, god. Her hands are in my hair and it feels so good. It tickles and I shiver. She calls me honey but it's her who is sweet. I like her hands and I want more. I want her to caress my whole body. I'm on fire and I want her cool hands to soothe me.

She tells me she will stay for Annika. She wants to help with Annika. Yes. But she leaves me again and I want her back.

And finally she's next to me, I feel a cool cloth on my face and my neck. She moves it down to my chest and down my arm and then she leans across my body to reach my other arm. Her chest hovers over mine and as I breathe in, so does she and our bodies become even closer. The cloth makes me feel cool and warm at the same time. She makes me feel so good. Always so good. She is an angel. She's my sunshine in the dark. I grab her hand. I look at her beautiful face. My angel, so lovely and so kind.

"Thank you," I tell her and I want to tell her so much more.

She kisses my head and her lips are cool against my heated skin. I want more. More of her cool skin on mine. More of her.

But she walks away. She's at my door._ No, angel, stay with me_, I would tell her if I could find my voice. But she's gone and so I close my eyes.

My sunshine is back. I can feel her hand on me and she says my name. I open my eyes and see her face close to mine. I feel better. Still tired but my head doesn't hurt anymore.

She wants me to change my shirt. I lift it over my shoulders and she helps me pull it over my head. She's on top of me, my face against her beautiful breasts as she takes my pillow and gives me another one that feels cool and dry. She's always so good to me. She touches my face and looks into my eyes and my heart races. I want to touch her but her hand on my face makes me close my eyes. Her lips, so gentle on my skin, make me sigh.

My fever may be gone but her touch enflames my body and awakens my desire. She helps me put on another shirt and I arch my back to help her as she pulls it down my stomach. Her hand brushes against my cock, steeled by her attention. Just a light touch but my breath hitches although I manage to suppress any other reaction.

I'm ashamed of my body's response to her and I apologize. She's so good to me. This is not what she wants now and I know that.

But she's not angry with me. She smiles at me and makes a joke. But it's not a joke because she's right. I can't resist her. I tried. I tried and I succumbed. I want her. I need her and I'm done resisting.

Oh, but she's leaving again. She says she'll come back soon but she's gone before I can ask her to stay.

"Angel," I whisper. "Sookie," I say louder, hoping she will hear me and come back.

My door opens and she asks if I need something.

"You."

She smiles at me, coming a little closer.

"Lie down with me? Please? I just want to feel you close to me."

"Okay," she says with a generous smile.

I pull back the covers and she gasps. "You didn't put your pants on?"

"I don't sleep with pants on. I don't really remember. I can put them on."

"It's okay," she smiles, "Just behave yourself."

She climbs over me and it takes all my willpower not to pull her down on top of me. She settles on her side facing me and I roll to face her. I want to turn her around and pull her body into mine but then I don't think I would be able to behave like she asked.

"How do you feel? A little better? It seems so," she smirks.

"Better. But still tired," I say as my eyelids droop.

She runs her hand down my cheek to the side of my neck and then down my chest. She lets it rest briefly on my stomach and then seems to remember my erection, and quickly moves her hand away. But I want her to touch. I ache for her and my control is slipping.

She exhales heavily and then pulls my hand until my arm is over her hip and my hand rests on her lower back. She scoots her body up to mine and I pull my hips back because if my cock touches her, my control will cease and I won't be able to behave, despite how tired I am.

She lays her head on my other arm that's bent around my pillow. She kisses my chin, seemingly unaware of just how much she is affecting me, of how much I long for her, of how painfully hard I am for her.

"Okay?" she asks, her breath fanning my face.

"Okay," I whisper. Just barely. But her in my bed is better than anything I've had in a long time and I will not ruin it by misbehaving. I close my eyes as I feel her fingertips trace my ear and the line of my jaw.

I wake up in the dark. I have no idea what time it is but I am alone. My angel is gone. I get up to go in search of her and as soon as I stand, my head spins and I fall back onto my bed. I sit until the spinning stops. I drink the rest of the water in the glass that Sookie brought me and then stand up slowly.

When I get downstairs, I find her on the couch feeding Annika. I love to see them together. They both make me so happy.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she says to me as her eyes briefly sweep my body.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"About seven-thirty. You slept for a few hours. You feel better?"

"I do. But I'm dizzy," I say, sitting next to them on the couch. Annika reaches her arms out to me and struggles to sit up.

"Hello baby girl," I coo at her, "Are you feeling better?" I reach and take her from Sookie, who helps her sit up. She pats my cheek and smiles at me, her bottle forgotten. I hug her to my chest, so grateful that she seems to feel so much better.

"Are you okay with her? I'm going to make you some tea. You're probably dizzy because you need to eat. You want me to make you something? Or there's leftover stew?"

"Not hungry," I say. The thought of food is making me nauseous.

"Really?" she says, "You must not be feeling that much better. Well, have some tea. You need some sugar."

I smirk at her unintended innuendo. "I do need some sugar," I say.

She comes up behind me on the couch and puts one hand on my jaw as she leans down and kisses my cheek on the other side. "You'll have to wait on anything more than that," she murmurs into my ear, "You _are_ sick, after all."

I close my eyes as she kisses me and when I open them, she's across the room heading into the kitchen. I lay Annika back in my arms to give her the rest of her bottle while Sookie makes me some tea. I didn't even know I had tea.

"I have tea?" I yell across the room.

"No," she says loudly, "But I do."

She brings me a steaming cup and sets it on the little table in front of me.

"You're an angel," I say.

"That's what you've been muttering all day!" she says with a smile, "I couldn't figure it out. Then I figured it was just nonsense because you were so out of it. But it was 'angel.'"

"How has Annika been today," I ask, changing the subject because I'm embarrassed. I wonder what else I was muttering. I was totally out of it when I got home. Telling her I loved her was bad enough, who knows what I could have said when I had a fever.

"This morning she was pretty cranky. I spent all morning holding her and she was unhappy at the doctor's office but tonight she's been happier. I bought her some Motrin and she takes it well and I think it's working better. Her fever is down to 100, with the medicine."

"Oh," I say, feeling bad that I didn't realize there was something better for her.

"Eric, you did the best you could. You dealt with a lot last night and you kept her happy through it all, I know you did. You did as well as any parent does with a sick baby. Don't feel bad about anything."

"You are always so nice to me, Sookie. I'm so happy you stayed. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Eric. Pam says you are to stay home tomorrow and I'm not to take no for an answer. Okay? So don't fight me on it or I will be forced to take drastic measures."

Drastic measures? "Like what?" I ask, intrigued.

"Well, I wouldn't want to have to tie you to your bed," she says with a big smile.

Oh. "Well, in that case, I might be forced to raise a protest."

"You can _raise_ anything you want. You will still be staying home tomorrow," she winks.

She takes Annika, who has finished her bottle and fallen asleep in my arms.

"Drink your tea," she says, getting up.

She brings Annika upstairs to bed and I sip my tea. Mmm, peppermint. Very sweet. The warm liquid is making me sleepy and the next thing I know Sookie has her hand under my head guiding me down to lie on the couch. She sits back against my stomach and puts her hand on my head and I fall asleep to the feel of her running her fingers through my hair. I fall in and out of consciousness as Sookie moves around and changes the tv channel. Her presence is comforting and I don't want her to leave.

I feel her sit next to me again and I open my eyes. Her hand on my cheek feels so cold and I realize my fever is back. Her words confirm my thoughts and she looks at me with concern.

"Eric, you need to eat something. I'm afraid to give you more Motrin on an empty stomach but your fever is back and you need some."

She gets up and I reach my hand out to her because I want her next to me.

"I'm just getting the thermometer upstairs. I'll be right back," she smiles.

I wait for her and when I feel her cool hands smooth down my face, I realize that I fell back to sleep. She takes my temperature and murmurs in disapproval at the number she reads. Her brow furrows.

"It's higher than before, Eric. We need to get some fluids in you." She walks into the kitchen and comes back with a glass of water and a bowl. "You have ice cream. Will you eat that? And here's some water. Drink it all."

I don't want it but she puts the glass in my hand and pushes it up to my mouth. I sip it and the cold water burns a trail down my body to my stomach. I pull my head back. I don't want it.

"Come on, Eric. Drink it, honey. You'll feel better," she coaxes.

"Just let me sleep," I mumble to her.

"No, you need some fluids at least. You don't need the ice cream but you'll have to drink something."

No, I just need to sleep. I shake my head.

"How about something warmer? Soup?" she asks. "You can finish your tea. It's room temperature now," she says, picking up my cup.

"Okay. The tea," I say and she pushes it to my lips. I gulp it quickly because I want to lay my head back down.

"Let me get you some Motrin. I'm going to give you three because you're big and that will hopefully get you through the night."

I hear the rattle of the pills in the bottle and then she puts her hand under my neck and pushes me up. She slips into the space between me and the couch and let's me go and I lean back against her feeling her cool soft body behind my shoulders and head. I open my eyes when I feel her press something to my lips. The medicine. I open my mouth and she puts a pill on my tongue and I taste her fingers and once again I want more of her. Twice more, her fingers graze my tongue and then she brings cool water to my mouth and I swallow, washing away the taste of her.

She leans over me to put the glass on the little table and her breasts hover over my face and I want to raise my head to feel them but instead I close my eyes. She sits back and her fingertips play over my face, caressing and stroking so lightly I think that maybe I'm just dreaming because I want to feel her so badly. I open my eyes and her smile makes my chest ache and I don't know why. I'm too tired to figure it out so I just close my eyes and sigh and struggle to stay awake so I can feel her touch some more. But I can't and I drift to sleep with my angel under me and over me and all around and this is where I want to stay forever.

When I wake up again it's dark and quiet and I'm alone and cold. So cold and my Sookie is nowhere near me. I start to sit up and then I hear her voice, and it soothes me from across the room.

"Eric," she says, "Wait. I'm coming."

I do as she says and wait and she walks towards me in a nightgown that looks like a long men's shirt and I have never seen anything more sexy in my entire life. It's deep blue and silky and I wonder what she has on underneath it. I want to touch it and feel it slide up her body as I expose her to my greedy eyes.

"Eric," she says and I realize that she's standing right in front of me and reluctantly bring my eyes up from her legs.

"You're beautiful," I tell her and she just smiles.

"You're sweaty again. Let's get you in the shower. Do you think you can stand through a shower?"

"Maybe you should help me," I say with a smile, my strength renewed by the force of my desire for her. "I'll lean on you and you can keep me up."

"You don't need my help with that," she says, looking down at my body.

I'm still in my underwear, I realize as I follow her gaze. And though I normally wear underwear around the house, I'm sure Sookie is not used to it.

She turns to walk away saying, "Come on. Let's go upstairs."

She turns back around quickly when I try to stand but fall back, my head spinning again.

"Eric!" she says, her voice ringing out in the quiet room.

"I'm fine," I manage to say as my heart pounds in my chest, "Just dizzy." I rest my head against my hands and take deep breaths and Sookie sits down next to me.

"You're dehydrated. You drank a bunch of coffee today and not much else and with the fever and the sweating that's not good. Did you eat lunch?"

I shake my head slightly.

"Oh, Eric," she says gently, "You haven't eaten all day. That's fine but you need to drink, especially when you have a fever."

"I will," I say and she hands me my half filled glass of water. I drink it down and it's not so bad now that I'm not so hot and it's not so cold.

She takes my glass and goes into the kitchen to refill it. She brings it back filled with iced tea and it's good and sweet so I drink it too.

"Good," she says, "That will make you feel better but I don't think you should shower. Do you want a bath or do you just want to go to bed?"

I don't want Sookie to have to take care of me anymore, she must be tired, but I do want to wash the sweat from my body. "I want to take a bath but I can do it by myself," I say getting up, except instead of standing steadily, I stumble into Sookie and she puts her arms around me to stabilize me.

"I'll help you," she says and once again we walk together up the stairs. As we walk into my bathroom, I wonder how much she wants to help me. Surely she won't want to completely undress me, though I wouldn't mind. She'll probably just turn on the water and leave me to do the rest.

I sit and watch her bend over to turn on the faucet. She adjusts the temperature and tells me she is making it slightly cooler than normal because of my fever.

"It might not feel that nice but I don't want you to overheat. Sorry," she smiles.

She turns and walks up to me where I'm sitting on the closed lid of the toilet. She puts her hands on the hem of my shirt and lifts it up and I put my arms up like an obedient child. She slips it over my head and puts it down and then she smoothes her hands down the middle of my back and bends her head to kiss my hair. I sigh against her satiny breasts and put my hands on her waist. The feel of her silky nightgown slipping over her soft skin is enough to make me breathe harder. But then she moves away and turns off the tap and tells me to get in and she will be back.

When she's gone I take off my underwear and step into the water. It's much cooler than I'm used to and I almost want to say forget it and not sit down. But I sit because Sookie drew this bath and she will be back in soon. My back arches when my center hits the water and I suddenly understand Annika's reluctance to sit down last night when I tried to bathe her. This shit is cold!

When Sookie comes back in, I try to school my features so she doesn't see how uncomfortable I am, both with her proximity to my naked body and because of the water temperature. She must notice my grimace though, because as she kneels next to the tub, she rubs my shoulder briefly and apologizes for the water.

"It's okay, I'll just make it quick," I say as I lather soap and wash myself, but I want to pull her in with me because her heat will surely warm me up.

"Can I wash your hair?" she says to me and I notice that she is dutifully keeping her eyes on my face and they have not wandered once down my body. She certainly has more willpower than me. If she was naked in the bath, my eyes would be roaming over every inch of her body. But she wants to touch me, however innocently, and that makes me happy.

I hand her the shampoo and tip my head back as she cups her hand and pours water over my hair. She lathers shampoo through my hair, her fingernails lightly grazing my scalp and sending shivers down my neck and body.

"Are you cold?" she asks.

"It feels good," I sigh and she laughs. She reaches up to grab the hand shower and turns on the water to rinse my hair.

"Warmer!" I plead as I arch away from the cold water, "Make it warmer."

"Sorry," she says, adjusting the water until it comes out warm.

"Thank you." I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling of her hand and the warm water massaging my head.

She pulls the drain to let the water out as she rinses my back with the hand shower. She keeps rinsing as if in a daze, letting the warm water run down my neck and shoulders, over my chest and stomach, and I can't help wishing it was her hands making me warm instead of the water. As the water level gets lower and lower in the bathtub, she seems to come back to herself and jumps up to shut off the shower head. I was wondering what she would do when my dick was no longer underwater. Though I'm flaccid, sitting in cold water will do that to a guy.

She grabs my towel off the bar and holds it in one hand while she reaches the other hand under my arm to help me up. I have a big claw foot tub so it's hard to get out of on the best of days and I'm grateful for her steadying hand. Though if I did fall, I'm not sure what good her small body would do. And to tell the truth, I'm kind of embarrassed to be standing before her wet, naked and soft. I feel like a child because I need so much help and she's not looking at me like a man. I take my towel and wrap it around my waist as soon as I'm out of the tub.

"Thanks for the help," I say, expecting her to leave the room so I can get dressed.

She looks up at me. "Oh. Of course," she smiles as she walks out, closing the door behind her.

I dry myself when she's gone, feeling a little dizzy when I bend down. I brush my teeth and then wrap the towel back around my waist because I don't know where Sookie is. But when I walk back into my bedroom, she is not there. I get dressed- with pants this time- and sit down on my bed, wondering if I should go ask Sookie to sleep in my bed tonight like I so desperately want.

I sit for several minutes and just when I get up the nerve to go find her, she knocks on my door.

"Knock, knock," she says as her hand taps lightly, "Just want to see if you need anything before I go to sleep."

I smile because we've done this before. "You," I say once again and she walks closer. "Will you sleep with me, Sookie?" I ask, sounding more needy than I had intended.

She's quiet for a moment longer than my fragile ego can allow and I'm about to tell her to forget I asked but she smiles brightly at me and nods her head. Relief floods me.

"Sure," she says, "But I get the outside because I want to be able to get to Annika if she wakes, without having to climb over you."

"Deal," I say with what I'm sure is a ridiculous smile on my face. I climb into bed and lie down and watch while Sookie climbs in next to me. I pull her over to me and push my face into her hair and for the first time in a very long time I fall right to sleep and sleep until the morning sun wakes me.

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**Thanks for reading! Sookie is an angel, right? Would you jump on a naked wet Viking? I would!**


	16. Chapter 16

**So, it's probably obvious by now that many of Eric's issues stem from his childhood. In this chapter, more of his story comes out so if you are sensitive to the topic of child abuse, mostly verbal with a brief mention of physical, then please skip the part surrounded by Xs. I don't go into great detail but it's enough to be triggering I think. I will give a very brief synopsis of what he said at the end in the author's note in case you do skip it when Eric tells it in the story. **

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SOOKIE

Eric is asleep next to me with his face in my hair and I'm freaking the fuck out! I'm still tingling from being so close to his gorgeous naked body in the bath and his breath on my neck is not helping me calm down. Neither is his intoxicating scent clinging to the pillow under my head. He's oblivious to the world and to my frustration. He was very good and didn't try anything with me and I wonder if he has that much willpower or if he's just that sick. All I know is he'd better get well soon because I can no longer be around him and his tiny underwear without serious fantasies of ripping them off and falling to my knees in front of him.

I've seen men in boxer briefs, but his seem very much tighter and quite a bit smaller than any I've seen before. Maybe because he's so tall but they barely cover anything and I can see the outline of his manhood clearly through the fabric. It took all my willpower to only look briefly and not let my eyes linger when he walked down the stairs this evening. Then I had to spend all evening with him in his underwear, trying not to stare and drool like Homer Simpson.

And his thighs! Goddamn his freaking thighs! Thank god he put on pants before he went to bed or who knows what I'd be doing right now. As it is, I don't know how I'm going to fall asleep next to him. Of course he's wearing a tank top and his arms are so beautiful and right within my reach. Would he wake up if I just ran my hands up and down his arms? What about if I sat between his legs and stroked his thighs and anything else that happened to be within reach? He'd probably wake up and unfortunately we are not at the point in our relationship where I can, in good conscience, touch him intimately without his express permission. In other words, no grabby hands while he sleeps.

Though, speaking of grabby hands...I think he really likes my nightgown. He couldn't take his eyes off it and I know he wanted to lift it up when I was running his bath. There is no way in hell I would have chosen to wear this but that's what I get for having Amelia bring me my things. I'm going to kill her later! She brought me the silky gown I'm wearing and another pajama set with tiny shorts and a tank. Both, she must have searched my drawer for because I haven't worn either in a very long time. That freaking girl! I'm sure she's hoping I'm getting some action tonight. Too bad Eric is sick and we're taking this slow. And taking it slow is hard when I'm in the proximity of a gorgeous half dressed man all day.

When I was in his bed earlier, he was definitely aroused and I almost couldn't hold back from grabbing what I could clearly see through his little underwear. If he had moved more, I don't think they would have been enough to contain him. The term 'trouser snake' came to mind. Yeah, it definitely applies...Well, more like underwear anaconda in his case.

I caressed his face and down his chest and wanted to let my hand continue down his body but I stopped myself. I scooted close to him so that I wouldn't have to look at what I couldn't have. I know he wants me, his body doesn't lie, but I don't want to take advantage of him when he's sick and might not be thinking straight. He needs a clear mind to give his full consent for anything we might do.

And we still need to have the uber embarrassing sex talk. You know- are you clean, do you get yourself tested regularly, are you on birth control- those lovely questions. I, of course, got myself tested religiously after cheating bastard and again after I briefly dated another guy. I say briefly dated, but it was like a date and some lackluster sex. I was feeling lonely and reckless but we did use a condom. So, I'm clean and given Eric's past, I assume he is but we still need to talk about it. Ugh.

My willpower, or lack thereof, was the cause for my hesitation when he asked me to sleep with him. He was almost begging and I could tell by the look on his face that I hesitated a bit too long but when I said yes, he was so happy. His smile is one of the best things in my life right now. I live to see his beautiful smile light up his face and I will do everything I can to keep him smiling.

As I lay here next to him, I have this strange peaceful feeling that almost seems dreamlike. I suddenly have this urge to put my hands on him. Like I need to touch him to make sure he's real. I turn onto my side so that I'm facing him. His face is literally inches from mine and I kiss his temple and then run my hand down his arm from his shoulder to his elbow. He makes a little happy noise and I see goosebumps form and look to his face but he's still asleep. I'm a little too happy that he reacts to my touch even in his sleep. I can't wait until I can touch him in more sensitive places. I continue to run light fingers over his bare shoulder and bicep, marveling at the softness of his skin. Right before I drift to sleep I reach down and pull his hand up between our bodies. I intertwine our fingers and even though he is still asleep, he squeezes my hand in his. I fall asleep holding hands with this beautiful man who is also my boss which is all kinds of weird and perfect. I would not have been able to imagine it when I first met Eric Northman.

I wake up to Annika's cries from across the hall and look to see what time it is. Four o'clock. Well, she made it a good chunk of time before waking. She's probably hungry since she has had no solid food all day. I reluctantly get out of Eric's warm bed and pad down the hall to get the baby. I have a weird flash forward of me doing this for my own child someday. I go in to pick up Annika and she's standing up, which is a good sign. I kiss her forehead and she doesn't feel hot, which is also good. Maybe this is just a short lived virus, and Eric will feel better tomorrow night. I hope so.

"Are you hungry, sweet girl?" I ask her.

We go downstairs and I make her a bottle and bring it back upstairs to feed her. As I sit and rock her in the quiet of the early morning, I think how much I love this little family that was dropped in my lap just two weeks ago. I know two weeks is not long to get attached like I am but we have spent so much time together that it feels like much longer. And I don't love Eric yet but I can see myself falling and it won't take long before I am completely head over heels for him. Not to mention little Annika. She is the sweetest baby I have ever taken care of. Always full of smiles and so affectionate. I'm going to miss her all day when I go back to school.

Speaking of going back to school, I have been meaning to talk to Eric about a new nanny. I want to help him pick one. I know he's busy and could use help interviewing and I want to make sure that Annika gets the best possible care. Thinking of another woman in Eric's house all day makes me a little jealous but that has nothing to do with why I want to help with hiring. If I keep telling myself that maybe I'll start to believe it!

Annika falls asleep after drinking half the bottle and goes back to her bed easily which is good because I'm exhausted. As I approach Eric, I see that he has rolled onto my part of the bed and his arm is extended as if he was searching for me in his sleep. Since I doubt Annika will wake again, I climb over him carefully and lay down behind him on the bed. After a few seconds of missing his touch, I scoot my body up to his and spoon him from behind. I put my arm over his torso and kiss the back of his neck enjoying how responsive he is when he shivers and sighs in his sleep.

The next morning, I wake up before either Northman so I take the opportunity to make a quick trip to the grocery store down the street. I get some breakfast foods and some pasta and things to make soup. Hopefully Eric's appetite will be back today.

When I get back, I find Eric still in bed but he has Annika sleeping next to him. I can't help but stand and stare at them both for a minute. They are so lovely together like this.

Eric turns around, startling me. I thought he was asleep. He reaches his hand back to me and I walk over and let him put his hand on my waist.

"Where did you go?" he asks.

"Grocery store. I wanted to get some stuff to make today. You hungry? I could make you some breakfast."

"I am hungry. Let me help you," he says starting to get up.

"No, stay here, Eric. You don't need to help me. Lie down with Annika. It's ok. Do you want scrambled eggs and toast? How about bacon?"

"I'm easy, Sookie. I eat everything," he says with a smile and I can't tell if his words are an innuendo. Given how many other times he has made some sort of innuendo, I will guess they are.

I smile and tell him I'll come get him when breakfast is ready. By the time I finish cooking, I can hear them moving around upstairs so I make Eric a plate and go up to tell him it's ready. He's in Annika's room getting her dressed. He's speaking to her softly in Swedish which makes me smile.

"You know, I'm surprised she always matches," I joke.

He smiles. "I only buy outfits that come together and I don't mix anything up. It pays to be organized. In case you couldn't tell yet, I'm a little uptight," he laughs.

I walk up and hug him from behind and I can feel his chest rumble through his back. "Let me dress her. Your food's on the table," I tell him.

"Are you coming to eat with me?"

"I am, I'll be right there. How do you feel?"

"Better. Not 100 percent but a lot better."

"Not dizzy?"

"Just a little."

"Ok, go eat. I'll get the thermometer to see if your fever is gone. Annika feels fine but I'll check her too."

"Thank you Sookie," he says, looking at me with such sincerity it embarrasses me.

"It's nothing," I say.

"No, it's not nothing," he says, taking my hand and kissing it, "I really appreciate everything you've done for us." His eyes are so full of feeling that I have to look away. He is so intense. He calls it uptight but he just has this intensity about him that is sometimes scary and sometimes incredibly alluring.

"You're welcome, Eric. I'm happy to do it," I say. Then to break the ardency of the moment I say, "Come on, let's eat." Annika is dressed by now so we walk down together.

I sit Annika in her chair and swipe the thermometer across her forehead. She is almost normal and she has not had medicine since last night. So hopefully she is well on her way to better.

Next I turn to Eric. Before I can take his temperature, he circles my waist with his hands and pulls me towards him. I step between his legs and he wraps his arms around me and gives me a big squeeze, resting his head on my stomach just below my breasts. He hugs me silently and takes deep breaths. I can see his back moving with each one and I rub my palms up and down it.

"Sookie," he says, but that's all and I don't think he will say anymore. He's just happy to be in my arms.

As I step back from Eric to take his temperature, he releases me with a sigh.

"What is it?" he asks.

"You're at 101, which is down from yesterday so you don't need Motrin unless you feel bad. How's your head?"

"I'm good, Sookie, sit down and eat. You must be tired."

I make myself a plate and get some oatmeal and fruit for Annika and sit down next to Eric. He gives me an adorable little smile because I didn't sit across from him.

"This is great!" he says, "I like eating together."

"Yeah it's nice," I say. I like how Eric tells me how he feels when he's happy. If only he could do that when he's upset.

As I start to feed Annika, who seems to have her appetite back, I tell Eric that I would like to help him with the hiring of the new nanny and that maybe we could set up interviews next week. He looks visibly shaken and not at all happy.

"Do you not want my help?" I ask. I thought he would be grateful because he's busy but maybe not.

"No, it's not that...," he says and he looks at me with so much sadness in his eyes, "I'm going to miss you. I like you in my house. I like you taking care of my Anni. I just..."

I break in because he doesn't seem to know what to say and I want to reassure him that I'm not going anywhere even when I'm not Annika's nanny. "Eric, I'll still be around, just not everyday. And besides, if we want to do the dating thing, it's better if I don't work for you..because that's just weird!" I laugh. He looks relieved and much happier.

"You want to date, right?" I ask. "Yes!" he says, and then seems embarrassed by his eagerness. "Yes, I do."

"Well, good. So do I."

"I haven't dated in a really long time, Sookie. I don't know if I'm any good at it." There's his self deprecating look again. He never thinks he's good enough.

I grab his hand and squeeze. "Neither have I, Eric. We'll both be learning. It will be fun!" I say to reassure him. His look lightens a little and he squeezes my hand back.

"So, about the new nanny you need... I thought you could ask the agency to send a few for interviews and I could help with that and then whoever we pick could come next week for a few days so Annika gets used to her."

"That's brilliant!" he says, beaming.

"Good! We can call later today. You can make sure they send someone who is laid back with flexible hours. If we find the right one, you might be able to keep her until Annika goes to school."

"Oh, god! Don't say that! She will never be that big!" he says with playful alarm. He looks over at Annika and smiles.

I smile at him. He's adorable! Always so adorable. "Oh, it won't be for a very long time. Don't worry," I say, "But it would be nice for her to have a nanny for that long, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, because we've been through a lot of nannies."

"I know..."

"You do? Did I tell you that?"

"No, I saw the notebook and it has like three different writing styles in it." I smile.

"Oh." He looks kind of upset. I'm sure he would have liked a consistent person taking care of his daughter.

"That's why we need to get someone who's laid back."

"Like you," he says smiling.

"I suppose... I don't know if I'm laid back."

He looks at me in surprise. "Sookie, nothing I've ever done ruffles you. I was ready to yell at you and you grabbed my hand, I told you a sad story about my ex and you told me a matching story, I was freaking out about getting snowed in and you told me to look at the snow falling, I was sick and half-naked and you took care of me like a kind nurse. You are so different than anybody else I know."

"Is that a good thing?"

"That's definitely a good thing," he says, giving me that look again. That look that sends my heart to my stomach and my lungs into overdrive.

It's too intense for breakfast so I look down at my plate and continue eating. I look at his plate and he still has half his food left. He sees me looking and shrugs.

"Not that hungry I guess."

"Than you must still be sick. Why don't you go lie down and watch some tv. I'll clean up."

"Are you sure?" He looks conflicted. I like how he's always willing to help. I guess he's just used to getting the job done. He's usually the only one around to do it.

"I'm sure, honey. Go lay down. Finish your juice first."

"Yes, ma'am," he says before downing his glass of orange juice.

"I could get used to that," I say with a wink.

He just smiles as he kisses Annika's head and walks into the living room.

"Da da," she says after him. He turns and says something in Swedish to her before he lies down on the couch and turns on the tv.

I clean her up first because she keeps looking at Eric and I think she'd like to go see him. I walk over with her and he reaches for her, sitting her on his chest so he can talk to her. I love how sweet he is with her. He is always happy to be with her and he never seems frustrated at her.

"She's lucky to have you, Eric," I tell him tenderly.

He looks up at me and I can tell my words don't sink in, he doesn't believe me. "No, I'm the lucky one," he says.

As I'm walking back to the dining room I say over my shoulder, "And not half, Eric."

"Huh?" he says, obviously confused.

"Naked," I say, "Not _half_- naked. You were _naked_ naked. That was hard to resist."

After a second of stunned silence, he says, laughing, "For me too!"

We spend the rest of the morning watching tv and playing with Annika. Eric needs a nap before his baby so I tell him to go upstairs to bed. When he's gone, she just keeps saying "Da da," and pointing at the stairs because she knows he is up there. She's not used to being without him if he's home so I gather some of her soft toys and we join Eric on his bed. He doesn't wake up when we climb on and Annika plays surprisingly quietly as if she knows her daddy is asleep.

The next thing I know, I wake up to find Eric staring silently down at me. He is spooned behind me with his head on his raised palm and Annika is sleeping in front of me on the bed. We must have fallen asleep together. He kisses my cheek when he sees me wake up.

"I woke up to find that I was joined in bed by you two beauties," he says smiling, "It made me really happy."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep. We came up here because Annika missed you. I'm glad it made you happy, though."

We lie together, all three of us, and it makes me happy too. When Annika wakes up we go downstairs and I make lunch, which Eric eats but still not as much as he usually does. Annika's appetite is back to normal, though.

We call the nanny agency and they say they will get back to him with the information for a few nannies that will fit.

I make chicken noodle soup for dinner and Eric lets Annika have some of the broth and soft veggies. She eats them like a champ as he looks on nervously. By the time she's finished, he's beaming like the proud father he is and I can't help but smile at them both.

After dinner, Eric looks a little melancholy but he doesn't say anything and I'm really not sure why there is such a shift in his mood.

"I'm going to bathe her, Eric, unless you want to," I say. I know he likes to do it but I don't know if he's up to it now.

"I'll come and sit with you," he says.

As I'm bathing Annika and getting her ready for bed, Eric watches almost silently. The look on his face is hard to interpret so I'm not sure what's going through his mind. Sometimes he's smiling but other times his face is blank. But his eyes almost always tell me what the rest of his face or his voice will not. In this case, I just don't know. His eyes are changing too much as if he's thinking rapidly. Maybe he, himself, doesn't know how he's feeling.

After Annika has her bottle and is in bed, I drag Eric to the couch to sit down with me. Well, not literally obviously, he's way too big.

"Do you want to tell me what's had you silently brooding for the last hour?" I ask him gently.

He looks startled but he says, "Nothing. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," I say mimicking his words to me this morning. There is definitely something going on with him. "Why do you keep things inside like this, Eric? I'm here to listen. I want you to talk to me."

He looks down and just breathes for a long time and like before, just when I think he will remain silent, he looks at me and starts talking.

"It's hard for me to be open, Sookie. It was a lesson I learned from my father: don't show your emotions, keep your guard up, stay in control. It's probably the only thing he taught me."

Oh. I don't know what to say. I repeat what I told him earlier, hoping he will. "Talk to me," I say in a quiet voice, looking into his eyes.

He takes a deep breath and visibly steels himself and I'm nervous for him because I think he's about to delve into something painful.

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"My father was a Swedish expat who happened to meet the Swedish girl of his dreams in America. They got married right away and things were fine for a while. Then he started traveling all the time and since he was gone so often, my mom decided to move back to Sweden. They were still married then but they eventually got divorced. I hardly ever saw my father but anytime I did, he never failed to make it clear how much of a disappointment I was to him. Nothing I ever did was good enough. Me or my brother. I don't even know why! He should never have had kids. He didn't seem to like anything about us. He didn't physically hurt us but his words were bad enough. He called me names and he yelled. He _always_ yelled. He hated that I was sensitive, he made fun of me, so I stopped being sensitive because I thought he would love me then. I was seven when I decided I wasn't going to cry anymore and I hated myself whenever I couldn't stop my tears."

Here, he pauses and maybe he doesn't want to cry but I do. The thought of this little seven year old full of self-hatred makes my heart lurch and my stomach tighten in grief. I reach for him but he pulls away.

"Don't," he says softly. He looks up at me with glassy eyes and I can tell he is making a monumental effort to remain in control of his emotions. I think he's afraid he will fall apart if I comfort him. He needs to fall apart, though. Sometimes it takes a break down before you can build yourself back up. He looks back down to the floor and continues.

"When I was about ten, after they divorced, my mother started sending me and my brother to spend summers in America with him. He wasn't traveling anymore by then but he chose to live here. Those summers were hell. I had no friends, my father was gone all the time doing who knows what, and if I did see him he just told me how pathetic I was for missing home. He called me a mama's boy and a pussy."

His voice is getting more and more unstable and I can tell it's taking more and more effort for him to tell this story. I want to comfort him but he doesn't want it. I want to _kill_ his father for making him feel this way. I have never felt murderous towards anyone until Eric told me about the people in his life who were supposed to love him but hurt him instead. His father, Sophie- neither one of them deserved this beautiful person in their lives and they had better not hurt Eric ever again or I will hurt them back. Realizing my mind is wandering, I return my attention to Eric, who is still talking while looking down at the floor.

"I tried to tell my mom that I didn't want to go but she always insisted, telling me it wasn't that bad and that he was my father. Like him being my father excused his sorry ass...Finally the summer I was 14 and Sander was 11, my father actually hit me. He was yelling at Sander and had him backed into a corner and I just had enough. I pulled him back away from Sander and he pushed me against the wall and hit me. I was as big as him by then so I guess he thought he could treat me like a man. I didn't want to hit him back so I just stood there silently which pissed him off. He called me a fjolla...I think it's sissy in English, because I couldn't even stand up to him. He told me he never wanted me and when I cried..."

He stops suddenly and breathes erratically but after a short pause when he seems to be reliving this scene, he is able to continue with a strong voice. It's kind of impressive how he can keep himself together but also incredibly sad now that I know who taught him not to cry.

_Cry_, I want to tell him. _Your dad was wrong! Cry!_...But of course, I don't and he doesn't.

"When I cried," he says again, "Standing there against the wall in his living room, he told me I was no son of his. I took off. I ran. I just ran. I had no idea where I was going. By the time I found my way back to his house I made up my mind that I was never going to see him again. I called my mom and begged her to let us come home, which she did, reluctantly. I never told her everything he did to me but she didn't make me go back."

"Oh, Eric!" I say as I reach for him. He may not want my comfort but it's a mostly unconscious response on my part to the pain I see so clearly on his face.

"I don't need your pity!" he says harshly to me and I'm sure my shock must register on my face. Is he angry with me for being sympathetic to him? Well, he chose the wrong person to tell that story to if he doesn't want me to feel for him. What the heck am I suppose to do here? Change the subject? Pretend he didn't just tell me his asshole father yelled at and berated him until he thought he needed to change himself to gain his love? I don't know how long I sit silently but by the time I realize what's going on, Eric is standing up and I just know he's about to leave the room. His MO in these situations includes either becoming silent, running away, or burying his face in my neck. I'm not sure yet for what reason he does each one but I think he's about to do the running thing now.

But he doesn't run away. He takes a deep breath and then turns around to face me.

"I'm sorry," he says, "I just don't want this to change anything. When I told Sophie about my father, she tiptoed around me for weeks. She acted like I was some scared little boy...and I'm not!" This last part comes out forcefully, angrily.

"Don't worry Eric. We all have messy pasts and some things are uglier than others. My past is not all roses and I understand that you don't want your past to change how people view you in the present. I get it." I look into his eyes as I say this because I want him to see how sincere I am. I feel for him, I do, but that won't change how I feel _about_ him. "Will you tell me the rest of your story?"

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He nods and takes another breath and starts again.

"He died three years ago and that's the last time I saw my mom. She tried to act like he was a good man at his funeral. His eulogy was fucking priceless and full of fucking lies. Mom told me I needed to forgive him and tried to get me to take his money. Oh yeah, he has a ton but I don't want it. His money kept him in my mom's good graces even though he was an asshole. It's all for me apparently, my mom can't touch it, Sander's too messed up to have it, but I don't want a single fucking krona from him.

"I was just so angry, I didn't want anything to do with her after that. I moved right before Annika was born and never gave her my new address. Then I was just so busy with Annika that reconciling with my mom was put on the back burner."

I want him to tell me more about his brother but now is not the time. I also realize that he never told me what he was feeling earlier tonight but I I think he has shared enough. He is recovering still and he's exhausted both physically and emotionally. That was a tough story to hear and even tougher to tell, I'm sure. I want to wrap him up in my arms and hold him for the rest of the night but I'm not sure what he wants. I will take my cues from him.

So far, he hasn't moved. He's just sitting with his head down and his hands clasped. My chest is literally aching to help him so I put my hand tentatively in the middle of his back. He melts, his whole body sags with the weight of his past, his hands unclasp and he falls towards me. He puts his arms around my middle and his face against my shoulder. I slide my hand up his back to rest on his head and turn my face to kiss his hair.

"Do you want to see your mom again?" I ask gently.

There is not even a split second pause before he answers, "Yes," in a whispered voice. I lean back from him and take his face in both my hands to look at him, "Then you can," I say, "You will."

"Why are you so good to me, Sookie?" He has tears in his eyes but they don't fall.

"I like you. You take such good care of Annika. You need someone to take care of you too and I don't know why, but I have had the urge to take care of you since the first time I grabbed your hand when you were so angry. And before you say anything, I know you can take care of yourself but isn't it nice to be looked after by someone else?"

"It's nice to be looked after by you," he says and then he pulls me into his arms again and puts his face in the crook of my neck like he does. I know it makes him feel better and I think it's really sweet so we sit in comfortable silence and just hold each other for a long while.

When we let go of each other I ask if he'd like to go to sleep. It's relatively early but he lost sleep when he was sick.

"Yes, are you staying over?" His face looks so hopeful. I wasn't sure what I would do tonight but I think he still needs my comfort so I will stay.

"Yeah, I'll stay," I say, smiling. He looks so incredibly happy and after seeing him so distressed earlier, I'm glad to see it.

We get ready for bed, me in the hall bathroom and he in his. When I walk back into the room he's already in bed and even though the lights are low, there is no mistaking the desire in his eyes as he looks at me. If looks could...give you an orgasm, dang, I would've had three!

"Sookie, that's really...little," he says gazing at my legs. I'm wearing the tiny shorts outfit that Amelia brought for me. I was ready to kill her when I saw it but now I'm not so sure. I might kiss her since it's getting this reaction from Eric.

"Sorry, my friend thought it would be funny if she brought me skimpy clothes to sleep in."

He smiles. "I like your friend," he says, holding out his hand for mine.

I walk towards him and put my hand in his and he pulls me onto the bed. He puts his arm under me and hugs me to him as he lays on his side. Then all of a sudden he rolls us so that I'm on top of him.

"Hey, now," I say playfully, "No funny business."

He looks at me as he slowly brings his mouth up to mine. His eyes are burning with desire and he whispers, "This isn't funny," right before his lips are on mine.

His lips are tender but insistent and soon his tongue joins them as he slides it across my lip. I open my mouth to his seeking tongue and we both moan as our kiss deepens. This man can kiss. He is a master at it and I find that my hips are moving against his as I drown in pleasure. When he groans, I pull back.

"Eric, I think we should stop," I say panting. He looks at me and I can see the lust clearing in his eyes.

"You're right," he says and his breathing is equally fast. "I'm sorry. You just look so fucking edible. You have no idea what I want to do to you."

My eyes widen at his wicked statement and I can feel my cheeks burning.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Sookie," he says looking like a scolded child.

"No, no," I say, "It's fine. I was just surprised. Nobody's ever talked to me like that...I like it."

"Well, good because it's true. But you'd better get off of me or I might surprise you further," he laughs.

So adorable and yet so debauched. I can't help but smile at him as I climb off of him.

"Goodnight, Eric," I whisper as I turn around and push my body back into his. I can feel his erection but he doesn't press into me.

"Goodnight, Sookie," he whispers back, nuzzling his face in my hair.

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**A/N: this chapter got a lot longer than I intended and I hope you enjoyed it even though this last part was a little heavy. **

**Thank you to all my reviewers and everyone favoriting and following the story! **

**Here is the synopsis of Eric's story : his father was verbally abusive and he and his brother bore the brunt of it. His father didn't like that Eric was a sensitive child. His parents divorced and his father lived in the US. Eric and his brother used to spend summers with him until Eric decided they weren't going to go anymore. He was 14.**


	17. Chapter 17

**So, I had to break up the next bit into two chapters because I wasn't even finished and it was over 8000 words. So if this chapter ends where you don't want it to, keep in mind another chapter will be following shortly. **

**Also, this starts with Sookie again and you will see why. I had to do it this way because I didn't want to leave them at a low point. Thanks for reading! **

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SOOKIE

I wake up Thursday morning on my back, stuck against the wall and halfway under Eric's body. I'm pretty sure he's still asleep. Well, almost. His erection pressing into my hip where his leg is thrown over mine, is most definitely not sleepy. His face is still in my hair, which leaves his neck right by my mouth.

Damn. I want him. He's not sick anymore, right? He'll be getting up for work soon. Before I can talk myself out of it, before I can even really think it through, I turn the top half of my body and kiss his neck softly as I run my hands up and down his torso under his shirt. I can feel the curve of each abdominal muscle, the hard planes of his chest, and his small nipples. I lift his shirt to stroke his warm skin as I kiss his neck and I keep kissing him as he wakes up and looks down at me. His mouth drops open and his brow furrows as if he can't quite figure out what's going on.

I push him to roll onto his back and move to straddle his thighs. "It's okay," I tell him, "I just want to make you feel good."

He looks back and forth between my hands on his bare stomach and my face.

"This isn't a dream?" he whispers. I smile at him. Has there ever been another man as sweet as him?

"So not a dream darlin'. Just relax." I put my hand lightly on his erection, and ask, "Okay?" He nods his head slowly with wide eyes, still disbelieving what's about to happen. I'm feeling a little bit nervous but mostly excited. I want to make this really good for him.

I take my hand off of him to pull down his pants and underwear with one tug. His erection springs out at me and his breath hitches. _Holy_... I was not expecting what I just freed. I was expecting big but not only is his erection huge, it's beautiful, and I don't usually find myself admiring these things. Geez, is everything on his entire body beautiful? His skin is so smooth, so soft but underneath he is not, and when I squeeze him- which he likes judging from the sound that comes out of his mouth- I can feel just how rigid he is. He whimpers and moves his hips and I can tell how much effort it's taking him not to beg for what he wants. He has started muttering in what I assume is Swedish and I wonder if he thinks I understand him. I know that he's becoming impatient with my distracted observation of his hard length, so I start to slowly slide my hand up and down him.

His hips are moving with my hand, his stomach clenched and I suddenly want to lick each line of defined muscle on it. I move to his side and put my hand on his hip to hold him down so that I can control my movement along his shaft. He gives me a pleading look as his hips quiet down so I rub my thumb over him in a way that makes his back arch and his mouth open.

"Ohh, fuu," he says with shuddering breath. He doesn't even finish the word and then he whispers again in Swedish. It's so fucking hot that he can't even think in English he's so out of his mind.

He is alternately arching his back and tightening his stomach as I stroke and the amount of his smooth skin covered by his shirt is getting less and less as he writhes on the bed. The hand that can reach me has not stopped moving lightly over my arm then down my body and back like a circuit. He really wants to touch me. In contrast to his relaxed caresses, his other hand is fisted tightly in the sheet. His mouth is open, his brow furrowed and his breathing is getting louder and louder. He is beautiful and I want him inside me but that will have to wait.

He is hot and throbbing in my hand. I'm stroking him at a quick steady pace but it's purposely just under the threshold that he needs to climax so that when he finally does, it will be that much better for him. I can tell he's equal parts frustrated and elated because he keeps looking from my hand on him, to my face and then his eyes inevitably roll back as his head drops to the pillow.

He makes a needy whimpering noise and so I move faster, twisting as I go. My hand is making a slick sound as it works over his flesh, wet from his arousal. He grunts with every exhale- he's almost there. To help him along, I lean forward and lick his nipple that was just uncovered when he arched his back off the bed. He inhales sharply and his hips jerk. I bite down gently on his other nipple and he opens his eyes, hisses and then growls at me.

Oh god.

"Did you just growl? That is so sexy," I say, looking at his face.

He fixes me with a piercing stare, his eyes dark with lust, and my breath quickens. His hand on my leg tightens, his fingers gripping my thigh firmly.

"Bite me again!" he orders in a very gruff voice, ignoring my question. He's too far gone to answer.

I bite his nipple at the same time I speed up my hand and he climaxes with a shuddering moan, his hips rocketing up off the bed so suddenly I almost can't hang on. He throws his head back and brings both hands up to grip his pillow tightly as he pushes his hips down and his chest up, arching backwards. He pants and grunts and I can feel my body reacting to the sounds of intense pleasure coming from his. The curve of his neck as it arches back into his pillow is so enticing I am tempted to bite down on his Adam's apple or at the very least to lick the entire length of it. I stroke him until his body calms down, his back returns to the bed, and he stops pulsing in my hand. I let him go and run my fingertips lightly down the length of him, pulling a strangled gasping moan from his lips as he curls his body, tightening his stomach. His hands still have a firm hold on his pillow and his entire face and upper torso are flushed red.

"Fuuuuuck," he breathes, drawing out the word for his whole breath.

I look down at him as he slowly comes back to earth and see that he needs me to clean him up before he can move or he will make a mess of the sheets. Good thing he seems incapable of anything beyond the tiny tremors that move through him sporadically. I give him a minute of silence while his breathing slows and I take the time to look at him as he lies with his eyes closed. How did I get so lucky that this gorgeous man is mine to touch and tease and play with? I'm in awe at how perfectly sculpted his body is. I gently kiss his lips and whisper, "That was hot. You are so beautiful," against his mouth.

"It's been a really long time, but I don't think I've ever felt anything so good," he says as he pulls off his shirt. He uses it to wipe his chest and stomach clean and then tosses it onto the floor. I don't know why, but that act of wiping up the evidence of his pleasure is so sexy to me. He pulls up his pants and reaches to pull me onto his chest.

"Come here," he says pulling me towards him. I climb onto his body and lay on his chest. He kisses my forehead. "Thank you," he says softly, "I was not expecting that. That's pretty much the best way in the world to wake up." He laughs and I can feel the rumble in his chest.

"You liked that, huh?" I tease. I'm extremely sure he did. Everything about him is intense, including that orgasm.

"Yes. Oh my god, yes! I would love to return the favor," he says in his sexiest voice.

"Nope," I say, getting up. He looks at me in surprise. "That was for you. I just wanted to make you feel good because you were sad before we went to bed and it was my fault for making you talk to me."

I look at him and am startled to find anger clearly on his face.

"I'm not a fucking charity case, Sookie. I don't need fucking pity sex!" he yells, sitting up. He's across the room and in his locked bathroom before I can think of something to say.

"Eric!" I say frantically as I knock on the door, "Eric, that's not what that was! Not at all! Please come out and talk to me!"

I wait to see if he will come out but when I hear the shower turn on, I know he needs some time to calm down before he will talk to me. I can't believe I messed this up so badly. I can't believe he thinks I only did that because I feel bad for him. Ah, stupid Sookie!

I'm changing Annika when I hear him come out of his room and I hope that he will come find me so we can talk. But as I walk downstairs, I hear Pam knock on the door so I go and let her in. We will have to talk later. I hope he comes home in a better mood.

"Sookie," she says, "Thank you for being so good to him."

I look down because I was not good to him just now. "I messed up, Pam, and he won't talk to me," I say desperately in a quiet voice. She looks at me and I have no idea what she is thinking but Eric comes downstairs, interrupting whatever she would have said to me.

As he puts on his coat, I walk up to him so he can say goodbye to Annika. He looks at me and I can see the anger still on his face but what makes my stomach lurch is the hurt I can see clearly in his eyes. Hurt that I caused with my careless words and it kills me that he will go to work carrying that with him.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper as he kisses Annika but he doesn't acknowledge me and just walks to the door.

Pam looks at me as I gaze longingly at Eric's retreating back and I can't tell if she wants to murder me or him. One of us has incurred her wrath and I hope it's not me. She nods at me and then follows Eric outside, closing the door after herself.

Annika pats my cheek and I look at her smiling face, her face that looks so like her father's. How is she in a consistently good mood when he is so damn moody? How could he think I only made him feel good because I pity him? How could he truly believe that? Does he not know how difficult it's been for me to refrain from touching him sexually when in such close proximity? Does he not see the longing on my face when I gaze at his gorgeous body? I have wanted him for so long. This is not the result I expected. I have to fix this but I don't know how if he won't talk to me.

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ERIC

"Don't run from her, Eric," Pam says as soon as we're both in her car.

"I don't need this from you, Pam," I tell her in a clipped tone that means I do not want to talk about it.

"You do need this from me, Eric because apparently you're too hard headed to understand it for yourself. Sookie really likes you and I know you really like her. Don't do this, Eric. Don't run away when things get hard. You're happiness is worth more than that."

"Pam, let it go. Leave me alone. I'm not a child, I don't need you telling me what to do." Does everyone think I'm a fucking charity project?

"Fine, Eric. Don't fucking listen to me. Maybe you'll realize what you need to do when you stop acting like an asshole."

We drive the rest of the way in silence which just gives me time to go over and over the events of this morning. Her hands on me, holy fuck. That was so fucking good. The thought of that makes me stir again and I fight to control my dick so I don't get hard in the car with Pam. Thinking of my fight with Sookie puts a damper on any sexy thoughts I have and my dick softens. She was so upset when I left without saying anything to her. I _am_ an asshole. Why the fuck can't I just keep myself in check? I always fly off the handle. I should have just talked to her instead of running into the bathroom. I hate that I can't stay calm and rational. I think I usually do better than I did this morning but after that fucking orgasm I wasn't thinking straight. Shit, how the fuck did she make me cum that hard with just a hand job?

We arrive at work so I don't have time to further reflect on our morning. I'm sure I'll be extremely busy today since I was out yesterday.

As I walk through the building everyone and their fucking mother asks me how I'm feeling. What the fuck? Did everyone notice my absence yesterday? Geez, I don't even know half these people and they don't need to know how I feel. Do they want to know that I feel like a fucking prick because I walked away from the woman who has been nothing but good to me since I've known her? How about the fact that she made me feel so fucking good this morning and I stomped all over her good intentions? God, I am such a fuck up. I knew I would fuck this up.

I walk into my office and close the door much harder than I mean to. Shit! I sink into my chair and put my head in my hands. I wouldn't be surprised if Sookie never touches me again. This feeling in my chest is going to fucking kill me. I can't breathe when I think of her face, so hurt because of me.

Pam opens the door slowly and peeks her head in the door. "Eric," she says and then pauses.

"Come in, Pam. I didn't mean to slam the door," I say.

"Right. Well, we have a lot to do today, Eric. Do you want to get started?"

"Yes," I say but I don't mean it. I want to run home to Sookie and grovel at her feet. What would I do if she was done with me now? That thought nearly stops my heart and makes me want to scream. Shit. I need to stop freaking out and get my shit together.

"Eric?" Pam says, looking concerned. I've been silent for too long.

"Yes, let's get started."

One thing after another comes up that needs my immediate undivided attention and I hardly have a second to breathe much less think about the disaster I created this morning.

"How do you know she really likes me?" I ask Pam during a mid-morning lull.

She smirks, "Wouldn't you like to know..." she teases.

"Yes, so spill it, I'm not really in the mood for this," I say seriously. I'm really not in the mood to be fucked with.

"Well, you should have seen how upset she was this morning when you were acting like a little bitch," she says and then she smiles and it makes me smile too. Shit! She knows me too well and I can't stay sullen around her. She always pulls me out of a bad mood.

I smile. "Thanks Pam. I know I fucked up. I know I have to fix it."

"You two are both the same. She told me she messed up."

"I was angry and I overreacted. She really didn't do anything."

"Well, you should tell her that, Eric"

"Yeah," I say.

"So call her, you ass!" she says laughing.

She leaves the room while I dial Sookie's number. I'm as nervous as a teenager calling a crush. When she picks up I say hello and then we both say, "I'm sorry!" at the same time.

She laughs and that sound does so much to soothe the ache that has taken up residence in my chest since our fight.

"I overreacted, Sookie," I tell her, "I'm an asshole. You made me feel so good and I yelled at you and left without talking to you. I am so sorry, Sookie. I will make it up to you. I can be good to you just don't give up on me. Please. I'm so sorry." Ugh, I'm a pathetic mess. What does she see in me?

"Eric! It's okay!" she says loudly, cutting off my rambling words. "It's okay. Calm down. I was thoughtless this morning. I didn't mean for my words to make you think I did that for any other reason than I have been wanting to touch you for so long."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, Eric. Oh god, yes! And it just keeps getting harder and harder to resist you. In fact, let's have this conversation over the phone because it's easier."

"What conversation?" I ask.

"The sex talk. The _are you clean_ talk. Okay? I can tell you I am clean. I've been with two men and got tested after each one, multiple times after Bill since he cheated. You?"

"I'm clean, Sookie," I say. I don't really want to tell her how many women I've been with but I could guess if she really wanted me to. Thankfully, she doesn't ask.

"Okay, good," she says. "I'm not on birth control, Eric. I mean, I'm not saying we're going to have sex soon but you know, just to be prepared."

She is being really forward about this whole thing which I guess is good. A little scary, maybe. I would use condoms even if she was on birth control to be honest. I don't think Sookie would do what Sophie did but I don't want to raise another child without her mother.

"That's okay. I like to use condoms anyway. I will get some soon. Not that we have to have sex soon..."

"Great! I think we should take things slow, but uh, you and your body really test my willpower," she says with an embarrassed laugh. She has no idea how small the last thread of my self control is.

I laugh along with her, "Yes. I get that," I say.

"Well, I'm sure you're busy so I'll let you go. I'll see you at home, at your home!" She laughs again but it makes me think how much I want it to be her home too. Shit, Northman! Really?

"Um, yeah, Sookie. Okay yeah, I'll see you later. Bye," I say before hanging up. That was completely unsmooth but I'm shocked that I would think about living with her already. What the fuck.

Pam comes back in when she sees I'm off the phone and we resume work again but I can't help noticing Pam sneaking little looks at me. I ignore it as long as I can but it's getting annoying.

"What?" I snap at her.

She smiles broadly. Sometimes she just loves to annoy me to watch me react. "Nothing, Eric. I like Sookie. Did I tell you that?"

"Yes, Pam, you did," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Well, good. Because I do. A lot," she winks and I'm not sure if she means she likes her or she _likes_ her.

"Pam, Sookie is mine!" I say with an edge to my voice. Why is Pam trying to bait me on this?

"Well, good, Eric," she says with a smile, "Make sure you tell her that...and be aware that she is pretty and smart and caring, and _anybody_ who gets her love is a very lucky person."

I look at Pam as it dawns on me what she is trying to do. Yes, I know Sookie is a catch. I know I need to work harder to keep her. I know there are likely many people who would jump at the chance to be with her. Shit.

"I'm doing the best I can Pam," I say with much more desperation in my voice than I'm comfortable with. I'm not comfortable with _any_ desperation, so... yeah.

Sensing my vulnerability, her face softens and she comes over to me to put a hand on my arm. "That's all you can do, Eric. Just don't forget that you want to do your best, even when it's hard."

Pam has two modes around me- friend mode and business mode. It's rare that she slips into friend mode at work but I appreciate it in times like this. I know she's just looking out for me. She knows more about my past than anyone else because, like Sookie, she asks and she keeps asking until I talk.

"Thanks Pam," I say, putting my hand over hers.

She smiles and takes my lunch order and then disappears to run her errands, business mode resumed.

As I eat my lunch, I turn on the camera feed from my house to just watch as Sookie moves around. As soon as I see her, my heartbeat picks up and my stomach does a funny small flip flop thing. What the fuck is that? Fucking butterflies? I have never had butterflies over any woman. Not even Annika's mom who I lived with for two years. Shit! Butterflies!

I sit, just staring at her but not really registering anything I'm seeing. I'm shocked at my reaction to her. And not even her in person. She's on my fucking computer screen!

Seeing her moving around my house makes me think of yesterday when I got to spend the whole day with her. I loved it. It felt like we were a family. When I woke up alone, at first it was like every other morning but then I remembered that I didn't fall asleep alone and I wondered where Sookie was. When Annika cried and Sookie didn't get her, I had a small moment of panic thinking I did something that made Sookie leave in the middle of the night. But as my head cleared and I got up to get Anni, I realized that she wouldn't do that to us. I was so happy to hear her come back, because I guess a small part of me still believed she left me.

When I told her that I appreciated everything she did for us it was the truth. Looking into her eyes then made me want to profess so many things to her but I couldn't have formed my feelings into words if I'd tried. So I just thanked her sincerely and kissed her hand. She worked so hard to take care of us, she made me breakfast that I couldn't even finish. She even wants to help me chose another nanny but I'm never going to find anyone as good as her. At least with her help we can get as close as possible. I hope the agency calls me today with some names so we can set up some interviews. Maybe they can come this weekend and Sookie will come over so I can see her. I can take her and Annika out for lunch or something.

Screen Sookie sits down and grabs the remote to watch some tv. I watch as she looks at the remote for several seconds before she finds the right place to press to turn on the tv. I guess I should show her how to use it. When we were watching tv yesterday morning, Sookie kept absentmindedly stroking my thigh and I was so distracted I couldn't tell you what was on the tv if you paid me. She had no idea what she was doing to me. She was mostly paying attention to Annika and even when she sat on the floor and leaned her head against my knee, it was no better. Just feeling her anywhere on my body makes me want her. Really, just seeing her makes me want her. God bless her fucking friend for packing sexy pajamas for her. That little shorts and tank top outfit was going to kill me. Ugh, so much leg and bare shoulder to look at but not touch. So much torturous skin to not kiss and not stroke. When she turned around and let me spoon her from behind like I've been wanting to do, it took every ounce of willpower not to rub over her round ass and grind myself into her. It took me much longer to get to sleep because I had so much pent up sexual energy. Energy that she helped drain out of me this morning. Shit, now I'm thinking of her hands on me and getting hard at my desk. I'm also thinking of finally putting my hands and lips on her- everywhere.

I distract myself by thinking of all the other happy moments spent with Sookie yesterday. Like waking up from my nap and finding her asleep in front of me and Anni asleep in front of her. I was so happy, happier than I have been in a very long time. Like my heart was going to burst out of my chest happy- good but bordering on painful. I felt that before when I was sick but I can't remember why anymore. I lifted my head to look down on them both as they slept. Both so beautiful, both making me so happy that they are in my life.

Like a family. With one member who is leaving soon. I know she will still be around but she won't be in my house everyday and she won't be taking care of my baby. Someone else will. But I want her, not some stranger. As the night went on yesterday, I got more and more upset that she was going back to school soon. I kept watching everything she did for me and Annika and I just couldn't help thinking that this is what I want and what I don't have. A complete family- a mom for my baby. She's going to grow up missing out on what she so deserves and I hate that. Annika needs a mother and I need a partner. But is that Sookie? Is it stupid that I want it to be?

I know I've only known her for two weeks but I can no longer imagine my life without her. Without her beautiful bright smile or her sweet smelling skin, without her kind eyes and comforting hands. I love how sweet she is, how she listens to me, and how she wants to hear about me.

I was so nervous to tell her about my father. I really don't want it to change how she sees me. I don't want her to think about me being a sad little boy. That was a long time ago and I know I have a hard time with feelings because of it but I'm doing fine and I don't want to be pitied. It is nice to be looked after by her as long as she understands that I can take care of myself. I'm not weak.

On my computer screen, I watch as Sookie leans her head back on the couch and closes her eyes. She must be exhausted after taking care of us for two days straight. What can I do for her to show her how much I appreciate her? Flowers? That's good but it doesn't seem like enough. I wonder if she would like a spa day. Maybe I'll ask Pam for a recommendation and get Sookie a spa gift certificate. That way she can relax and let someone else take care of her...hopefully a woman!

After lunch, I get right back into my work because there really is a shit ton to do. I hardly have a break until almost seven o'clock, when I realize I feel like absolute shit and need to go home. Still not back to 100 percent, I guess. On my drive home, I stop at a florist to pick up a bunch of colorful wild flowers for Sookie. They are bright like her sunny smile and they smell sweet like her. I have the spa certificate that Pam got for me in an envelope and I'm way too excited about giving them to Sookie.

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**A/N: So, I'm sorry to stop them here because I've already written most of the rest of their evening and I'm excited for you to read it! Good news is, it's almost finished so I can post it soon but it just got too long, like I said. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sookie finally just couldn't resist that big Viking any longer! **

**You also get to hear some of Eric's inner thoughts about Sookie. I think it's clear to everyone but him that he is in love with Sookie. And that he needs her, though he won't admit that because he does not want to be seen as weak or pitiful- hence his freak out about "pity sex." He vacillates between thinking he screws everything up and doesn't deserve her to asking her not to give up on him. He has obvious abandonment issues which is why he panics thinking that Sookie left in the middle of the night but he is really trying his hardest to be the best man he knows how. He's doing ok, right?**

**Hope you liked it! Let me know...**


	18. Chapter 18

**So I debated posting this but I would like to say that if you are reading this story and you have some constructive criticism, please leave it in a review. I welcome it. But what I can do without are rude anonymous reviews that don't have anything constructive to say. Insinuating crudely that Eric is acting like a woman? Really, if that isn't ironic, given what this character's father said to him for his whole childhood, then I don't know what is. The fact that boys and men get the message that their vulnerability or tears makes them too much like a woman to be accepted as a man, is very sad to me. Men- all men- can cry, be scared, feel inadequate, etc and their "manhood" should not be questioned. Sorry for the rant but I'm raising two boys who I hope will be accepted for themselves, however sensitive or not. **

**Anyway, on to the story! :) **

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Still ERIC :)

Sookie is just cleaning Annika up from her dinner when I come in. As soon as she sees me she gives me a bright smile that widens when she sees the flowers in my hand. I hold my hand out and she steps closer to me.

"Are those for me?" she says with a nervous smile. "Yes, they remind me of you, though you are much more sweet," I say. Really, Northman? Ugh, sappy.

She takes the flowers and sets them on the table and then reaches up to the back of my neck, pulling my head down to hers. She presses her lips to mine briefly and then backs off and I fight off the urge to pull her back to my mouth. I want to taste her some more.

"Thank you," she says sweetly.

"I just...Can I...?" I say stepping towards her again. She looks up at me, confused because I really didn't say anything. I pull her into my arms and push my face into her neck. I just need to breathe her in for a minute. I just need to feel her in my arms and against my face. It was a long day without her. I just need to feel her. She lets me hold her and she brings one hand up to my hair, running her fingers through it and making me shiver. I love this feeling. This...peace that I only feel when she's so close to me. When the warmth and scent of her soft skin is all I can sense. I wish I could live here against her skin. But since I can't, I reluctantly back away from her.

"Sookie, I'm so sorry again for this morning. I messed up so badly and I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to touch me again but I'm so happy that you're not mad at me. You're not– right?" I ask, suddenly panicked that she still might be.

"Eric, relax. I'm not mad and I definitely want to touch you again," she says with a blush.

I blow out the breath that got stuck in my lungs. "Good. Good," I say like an idiot because I can't think of anything better to say at the moment.

She just smiles at me and turns to finish with Annika.

"Anyway, so I wanted to say I'm sorry but also thank you because you helped us so much the past couple of days. I don't know what I would've done without you. So I got you this...to say thank you. So...thank you," I say, handing her the envelope. Goddamn, why am I so nervous?

I take Annika from her so she can open it. While she does, I kiss my baby girl and make her laugh.

"Hur mår du, min lilla docka? Jag älskar dig så mycket," I say to Annika.

Sookie looks up and gives us a smile. She looks down to read the paper in the envelope and gasps. "Oh, Eric!" she says, "You didn't have to do this! This is way too much!"

"Sookie, you didn't have to stay and take care of us like you did either. And I appreciate it so I wanted to do something nice for you. Pam knows the owner of this spa and she says it's the best on Newbury Street so you will like it I hope. And you can choose anything you want. Just please, spend the day there and relax. Let them take care of you like you took care of us."

There is purposely no dollar amount on the certificate. She can simply choose whatever services she wants but I hope she will treat herself because she deserves it.

"Eric, you are the best," she says, throwing her arms around my waist and hugging me tightly. I hug her back with my free arm. I am debating about asking her to stay and eat dinner with me after I put Annika to bed but she's probably anxious to get home since she hasn't been there in a while.

"What, Eric?" she says looking at my face. Why does she always know when I'm thinking?

"Um, nothing really. Just thinking that you probably want to go home now," I say with a sheepish smile. I feel so guilty that I want her to stay with me. She has her own life.

"Are you kicking me out? Sick of me already?" she says playfully.

"God, no! I don't ever want you to leave," I say and then immediately cringe. Ooh, that was creepy. A little too needy, Northman. Way to go.

But of course, because she's Sookie, she is not creeped out. She beams a radiant smile at me and her smile triggers mine. We just stand smiling at each other like a couple of loons until we both seem to realize it at the same time and turn away from each other.

I need to get Annika in the bath and to bed but I wonder if she would stay until after that. Cant hurt to ask right? I turn towards her at the same time she looks up at me and we both speak at once.

"Want to stay until she's in bed?" I ask.

And she says, "I could stay until she's asleep."

We smile at each other and I motion for her to talk first.

"Yes," she says, "I would love to stay. Are you hungry? I can make us something while you put her to bed."

"You don't have to. We could order something," I say. I love her cooking but I don't want her to feel obligated.

"Sure, what do you want?"

"Like I said before, I'm easy. Get whatever you want. Menus by the phone," I point. "Here," I say, handing her some money.

She takes it reluctantly. "Okay, thanks," she says, walking over to the menus.

"Vill du ta ett bad, prinsessa?" I ask Annika as we walk upstairs.

I bring Anni into my room and set her on the floor with her hands on the bed so I can change my clothes. As I change, she uses the bed to help her walk around closer to me. She's getting so big; I bet she'll be walking soon. She smiles up at me and I smile down at her. It's still amazing to me, how much I love her. As soon as I change my clothes and toss my work clothes along with the t-shirt on the floor into the hamper, I scoop her up and head to the bathtub.

I bathe and dress Annika and head downstairs with her to get a bottle. Sookie hands it to me, warmed and everything, before I even say anything. How is she so perfect?

"Thank you," I say, "I'll be down soon." I feel bad that she's hanging out alone but I like my time with Annika.

"Don't worry about me one bit," she says, "Take your time. She's worth it."

Yes, she is...and so is Sookie. I smile at her and go back upstairs to put Anni to bed.

When Anni is asleep, I go downstairs and notice a pizza on the table along with a salad. I smile because whenever I order pizza, I never get salad with it. I also notice her flowers in a glass of water on the table and am glad she seems to like them.

I look around for Sookie and see her curled up on the couch. As I approach her, I realize that she fell asleep. Oh, how I would love to pick her up and carry her to my bed but I'm sure she's hungry and I'm sure she wants to go home to sleep. The thought of sleeping alone makes me feel really weird but I shake it off because it's ridiculous to miss something you've only had for two nights.

I walk up to Sookie and kneel down in front of the couch by her head. She looks so peaceful and angelic, I hate to wake her. I put my hand on her cheek, like she did to wake me when I was sick.

"Sookie," I say quietly and she immediately opens her eyes looking startled. As soon as she sees me, she relaxes and smiles. "Do you want to eat?" I ask.

"Oh, yes. Sorry!"

"Don't apologize. You've been so busy the last couple of days, if you want to go home and sleep that's okay," I say, secretly hoping she will stay. I'll be her human pillow if she wants to sleep. I'll even keep my hands to myself, even though I want to slide them all over her body.

"No, I want to stay," she says lifting her head to kiss me. I kiss her back but she moves before I get my fill of her lips...which will probably never happen anyway.

"Come on," she says, "Lets eat before it gets too cold. If I keep kissing you, dinner will get completely wasted."

Hmm, my thoughts exactly. Who needs food?

Obviously I do, I realize when I start eating. Apparently not eating for two days makes me extremely hungry. I eat quickly until I realize there is one piece left. Sookie sees me eyeing it and tells me to eat it, which I gladly do. See, only a perfect person lets someone else have the last piece of pizza!

"I'm glad you have your appetite back," she says.

"I do," I say, looking into her eyes. For more than food.

"Yeah?" she says, looking suddenly nervous. Does she not want me? Because I sure as hell want her.

"Yeah," I say, "Do you want to come sit with me?" But the tone of my voice makes it clear I want to do much more than just sit.

I walk her over to the couch and pull her into my arms for a kiss. I can't get enough of her mouth. Her lips are soft and full and perfect and her tongue is relentless against mine. I let my hands travel down her body and cup her ass to pull her into me. I have been completely hard almost since our lips met and I groan as she rolls her hips against me.

I back us up until her legs are touching the couch and then gently push her to sit down. Unfortunately our lips part but soon I will have something equally sweet in my mouth. I kneel in front of her and press wet kisses down her neck and along her collarbone. She sighs and goosebumps break out across her skin. She runs her fingers down my spine and I shiver and arch into her, which makes us both smile.

I lean back and put my hands on the hem of her shirt and look at her to ask if I can take it off. I want to see her. She nods so I lift it over her head revealing her pale pink bra which contrasts with her golden skin. She is beautiful, just like I imagined.

"Så vacker," I say, before translating my Swedish into, "So beautiful." Sometimes when I'm really excited I forget about English. And I'm really fucking excited right now!

I brush my lips across the tops of her breasts and her breathing picks up. While my mouth is busy I run my hands over her ribs to her back where her bra clasps. I put my fingers on it and undo it slowly so that if she doesn't want me to, she can tell me to stop. But she doesn't and soon her bra is on the floor and my mouth is on her soft skin. She gasps when my lips come into contact with her rosy nipple. My mouth closes around it and she moans as my tongue swirls over her tightening flesh. After licking and gently sucking both nipples I lean back and put my hands on the button to her jeans.

"Can I?" I ask, hoping that she will let me.

"Yes," she breathes.

I smile, I can't help it if I look like an idiot. This is what I've wanted for so long. I undo her pants slowly and when I pull them off, I tug her with them to the edge of the couch before I remove them. She is wearing lacy boy shorts and my dick twitches in my jeans and becomes almost painfully hard when I see them. I'm almost sorry I decided my dick would stay under wraps tonight but I want to make Sookie feel good, not myself. Although, my mouth on her is pretty damn good for me too.

I trace my fingertips lightly over the sides of her body. Over the soft swells of her breasts, the curve of her waist, and the flare of her hips. When my fingers reach her thighs, I start back up, tracing her silhouette in reverse. This time my mouth follows my fingers on one side and I let my lips ghost over her golden skin. She's breathing heavy and arching her back, pushing those perfect breasts closer to me. So, of course I have to make a detour and taste them again. It's a good thing my dick is still tucked away and is far from her center because I don't think I'd be able to resist her. She smells so sweet. Her skin is so soft and her shape is so enticing. She is all woman, a beautiful soft woman with curves for days and if I had days with her to do nothing but worship her body, I would. I kiss up her neck to her lips and press mine softly to hers.

"This is better than I imagined, Sookie. You are so sweet and beautiful. I can't get enough of you," I say with a quiet voice. She smiles shyly and her cheeks turn even more pink.

I slowly kiss back down her body – in the middle this time. I kiss from her lips to her neck and to the cleavage of her beautiful breasts. With my face in between them, I take a deep breath and I can't help but groan. The smell of her skin is intoxicating, and the flush of pink on her body draws me in. I want to devour her but I'll settle for kissing and licking her instead.

I brush my lips down her stomach and across her hips. I can feel her warmth radiating up from her center. Her breath is coming out in gasps and sighs as I move down her body. As my mouth reaches the band of her panties I grasp them with my fingers and pull slowly, again giving her a chance to stop me. She does not, but her eyes close.

"Don't close your eyes. Look at me, Sookie," I tell her.

She opens her eyes and looks down at me as I finally slip her panties off and toss them aside. I tear my eyes from hers as I get my first look at her, completely bare before me. I can't help the growly noise that leaves my mouth. She is just so fucking beautiful and all mine.

"You are really beautiful," I whisper. I know I keep saying that but it's true.

I dip my head down to kiss from her hip down to her mound and bring my hands around to her lower back to pull her forward a little more. I push her legs apart and dip my head again to lick her wet slit from bottom to top, stopping to flick my tongue against her clit. She moans and her hands come to the back of my head, tugging my hair as she tightens her fingers. Fuck, she tastes good everywhere. I groan and look up at her. She's still watching me like I want.

"Fucking delicious," I say in a low voice.

She blushes and gives me a small smile. Her hands are still in my hair and she pushes my head forward slightly. I love a woman who knows what she wants so I oblige her and bring my hand up to her as I bring my mouth down. I suck her glistening skin into my mouth and slide a finger into her. Her hips push forward and she gasps my name. _That_ is a sound I want to hear many more times. She is hot and tight around my finger and her hips continue to move with me. I swirl my tongue around and curl my finger inside her, looking for her magic spot. I know I've found it when she gasps and her hips move suddenly. So I keep stroking it, adding another finger and enjoying the way it makes her writhe in front of me. The way she is moving her body and the noises coming from her mouth have me straining in my jeans painfully. Would it be bad if I just unfastened them so I don't permanently bear the imprint of a zipper on my cock?

As if she can hear me thinking, she moves her leg and rubs her foot up and down my cock. I don't have a foot fetish or anything but her foot makes my cock jump and my heart thunder in my chest. My eyes roll back and I groan.

"Take them off," she says breathlessly.

My fingers are still inside her and I still don't have condoms so I shake my head. I don't trust myself to say anything because at this point anything is liable to come out of my mouth. She has that effect on me.

I lower my head again and lick her swiftly and she drops her foot and moans. Hopefully she forgot about undressing me because if we're both naked I know it will be next to impossible for me to resist her.

But she surprises me by leaning forward and grabbing the back of my shirt and pulling it up. I pull my arms out of it and she slips it over my head. I look up at her but she just flops back and smiles.

So I return to my task with vigor and stroke her from the inside while I flick my tongue relentlessly over her swollen flesh. She smells incredible and tastes even better. Her hips flex, rubbing her wetness against my face. I fucking love it. She's panting and writhing and I think she's probably close to cumming so I reach my unoccupied hand up and squeeze and roll her nipple between my fingers. She does this breathy moan thing but her voice is quivering with her body and between that and the way her inner muscles are squeezing my fingers, I am ready to cum in my pants like a teenager. Add to that, the way she is pulling my hair and pushing her thighs against my cheeks, I'm about to lose my mind and my load. She is obviously enjoying herself immensely. Her moans just keep coming and she arches her back and pushes her breasts up as she rolls her hips.

I lift my head so I can look at her face as she comes down but I keep rubbing her with my fingers until she stops rocking her hips. Her face, further flushed from her orgasm, is the most beautiful I've ever seen it- which is saying a lot because I think she is beautiful all the time. But right now, with her pink cheeks and red lips and generally satisfied expression, she looks like an oil painting and I wish I had her portrait to keep on my bedroom wall. I would stare at it every night before I fell asleep. Wow, what the fuck is wrong with me? I'm a sappy romantic all of a sudden?

"Eric?" Sookie asks, and I focus on her, "You blipped out on me there. What are you thinking?"

"Me? Nothing! Well, other than how beautiful you are. I think I got lost in you," I tell her looking down to the floor.

She sits up and hugs my head to her chest and for a second I'm just so happy to be in her arms that I don't even register my proximity to my new favorite toys. When I realize how close my mouth is to one of her perky pink nipples, I just have to suck it into my mouth.

"Thank you, Eric. That was- ooh," she says when she feels my mouth close over her nipple.

I smile at her even though my mouth is full and she caresses my face but then tells me to stop.

"Eric, as much as I would love to go another round with you, and maybe let that monster out to play," she says, motioning to my erection, "I really should head home."

I sigh, but she is right. I stand up and reach my hand out and help her up when she puts her hand in mine. Before I let her get dressed I pull her into my body to hug her tightly. I lay my cheek against her hair and just enjoy the feel of her against me. She is everything I am not and we complement each other well. She is soft to my hard, round curves to my straight planes, small body to my towering frame. She is sweet and kind, always patient and selfless, which is opposite to me also and yet, still she likes me.

"Thank you for staying, Sookie. Thank you for everything."

"Eric, quit thanking me," she says, looking up at me, "You are worth it."

She pulls my face down by my chin and kisses me softly. She backs away from me and I want to pull her back but she starts to get dressed and I watch, mesmerized but sorrowful, to see her re-cover everything that I exposed.

I grab my shirt and put it on before asking her if she wants to take the T or a cab. I'm sure by now, she knows which I would prefer her to use but she can make up her own mind.

"It's not too late, I'll take the T," she says and I try to hide the worry on my face. "I'll be fine, Eric," she says. Realistically, I know she will but I still worry.

"Well, thank... I mean, um, see you tomorrow." I say, hugging her. I would love to snuggle with her but it's late and she wants to go home.

She puts on her boots and her coat, grabs her flowers, kisses me so fast that I can't even kiss her back, and walks to the door.

"Bye, I had fun! Thanks!" she says cheerily and then she's gone.

I clean up the table and head to bed. My pillows smell like Sookie so I lay my head on one and hug the other one to my chest and I fall asleep faster than usual as I breathe in her sweet scent.

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**Swedish(from Google translate so forgive any mistakes): **

**_Hur mår du, min lilla docka? Jag älskar dig så mycket_,- How are you, my little doll? I love you so much. **

**_Vill du ta ett bad, prinsessa_?- Do you want to take a bath, princess? **

**Thank you for reading and reviewing! I appreciate it!**


	19. Chapter 19

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SOOKIE

Oh my god! Oh. My. God! I love him! I'm in love with him! I want to scream it to the world as I walk down Cambridge Street to the T stop! I know I have a spring in my step after that orgasm and realizing that I love him is just making me even happier. And me loving him doesn't even have anything to do with his fabulous tongue!

I grin at a group of ladies that passes me by and they smile and give each other sidelong glances. I'm an idiot, I'm a fool in love! I'm so happy I could scream! I love Eric Northman!

He is so sweet and thoughtful! So considerate and such a glorious freaking lover. Holy shit! I'm surprised I could even stand up after that orgasm. Damn. Bill the Bastard Compton sure can't compare to him. In _any_ way! But it's more than what he does for me with his body. I realized that whenever I see him, my heart beats a little faster and my stomach feels nervous and I long to have him in my arms. Just thinking about him makes me grin like an idiot. I can picture myself with him long term- I even love his daughter! I love that baby girl and I'm going to do my very best to make sure whoever gets the privilege of taking care of her does the best job possible.

As I board the T, and see all these people, I have the urge to tell them. I want to tell them all! I love Eric Northman! I need to tell someone!

"Amelia!" I say as soon as I walk into our suite, "Amelia!" I knock on her door and she opens it a few seconds later.

"Sookie! What's wrong? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! Nothing! Everything is right! I love him, Amelia! I love Eric!"

"What? When did this happen? Geez! How long were you gone? Did I sleep through a month?"

"Ha ha! I know it's fast but it's right!"

"Is the sex that good?" she jokes, pulling me into her room to sit with her on her bed.

"We didn't even have sex. Well, not full sex. But it's not about that! It's him! It's everything. His thoughtfulness, his playfulness, his intelligence, his incredible love for his baby girl, how he's always kind and patient and gentle with her and how he speaks Swedish to her, how he listens to me and talks to me, his vulnerable side, how he's so freaking grateful for every little thing I do for him, how he always wants to hold me and nuzzle my neck, even how freaked out he gets because that's just part of his intensity that I love! Everything, Amelia! Everything!"

"Damn, Sookie! Does he have a sister? Or a brother- I'm not picky!"

We laugh. I know she loves Tracy and is just playing around.

"So I guess the sleepover went well?"

"Yes, no thanks to your clothing choices! What the heck, girl? The silk shirt gown and the tiny shorts outfit? A little obvious and desperate don't you think?"

"Well, it worked..." she says with a smirk.

I cant help but grin at her. It did indeed work. "Thanks for packing my razor, though. Whew! When I saw what you packed, I was freaking out about my prickly legs!"

"See, I'm a good friend! I think of everything!"

"You are a good friend." I say, smiling.

"So, what will you do? Are you going to tell him?"

"God no! It's way too soon! I think it would scare him. He hasn't exactly had it easy in the girlfriend department."

"Yeah, you're right. How's he doing? Did you guys talk and decide to date? Are you his girlfriend? You didn't even call me. Things must have gone very well!"

"He's doing okay. He's definitely a little shell shocked but he has had a tough life, Amelia. I don't want to spill his secrets but his childhood wasn't the best and that's putting it lightly. The fact that he is as sweet and caring as he is, is amazing. But we did talk and decide to date, although I'm not sure we'll be going on many real dates with Annika, which is fine. We did not have the girlfriend/boyfriend talk so I don't think I can call myself that, though."

"Did you ever tell him about your childhood? I mean, about your parents?" Amelia looks slightly uncomfortable to discuss this topic. Most people are.

"Yeah, I did when we were in New York. It came up at dinner so I just told him briefly that they died when I was seven and Jason and I went to live with Gran. He didn't ask anything else. I had already told him my gran raised me and Jason."

"Oh. So his was worse than that?" she says sadly.

"Yes. It was. At least my parents were good to me and so was Gran. He was not so lucky. I really don't want to talk about it, though, Amelia. I feel like I'm betraying his confidence. Please don't say anything to anybody. Especially him if you meet him. He is really afraid people will pity him if they know his background, okay?"

"Oh yeah, of course," she says sincerely.

"Thanks!...Oh my god!" I say as a horrible realization dawns on me.

"What?"

"I realized I loved him and then I practically ran out of his house! What's he going to think?"

She smiles at me, "Oh, I'm sure its fine," she says.

"No, Amelia, he had just...um...you know, gone down on me. And then I grabbed my stuff and left!"

"Oohh, well, it's probably still okay. Did you leave _right_ away?"

"Yes! And I didn't even think of how frustrated I was leaving him. He was hard all night! Shit! But I did ask him to take off his pants and he wouldn't."

"How was he?"

"What?"

"With his mouth," she says with wide eyes and raised brows.

"Soo good," I sigh, "So so freaking good!"

"So why did you leave?"

"I don't know! I wasn't thinking right! I was on this post orgasm- oh my god I love him- high. I kept thinking I had to leave right then or I would never make it home ever again. Everything about him is just so intense and captivating and when I'm around him, I just feel so good and I never want to leave."

"Well, just tell him that part. That you thought you should leave fast or you never would have. Maybe he didn't even notice."

"Yeah, maybe," I say but I'm not convinced. "Alright, well, I'm heading to bed. Thanks for the chat!"

"Goodnight, Sookie."

I say goodnight and then grab my things for a shower before bed.

I wake up feeling simultaneously giddy and anxious. Giddy because as soon as I think of Eric, I get this wave of warmth that washes through me, causing my heart to race and my stomach to flip. Yep, I love him! But I'm nervous about what he will be thinking this morning. Did he notice that I practically ran out on him after he gave me that fantastic orgasm?

But once I ring his doorbell and see him standing there with his shirt completely unbuttoned and his hair wet and tousled, I cannot think of anything but wanting him in my arms. Luckily, he seems to be thinking the same thing because he grabs me as soon as I walk inside. He doesn't even give me a chance to shed my coat or boots before he brings his head down and presses his lips firmly onto mine. He's certainly eager. He's being much more insistent than usual.

"I missed you Sookie," he murmurs against me before his tongue is in my mouth. There is nothing gentle about this kiss. It's urgent and needy and fervid. His mouth is hot and demanding and his hands are firm, his fingers gripping my neck and my lower back. I remember his open shirt and run my hands up and down his chest and stomach, which ripples under my fingers. I tease his nipples and he gasps and then growls. Holy shit, that's hot. I love when he growls. He's getting hard, I can feel him against me but we have no time to finish this thing we started. I don't want to leave him frustrated before work so I need to break this off.

"Hey... Eric...stop, hun," I say between kisses.

He immediately backs up and looks at me. He's panting and his eyes are smoldering but he maintains the distance between us.

"Wow, that was fast," I say.

"You said stop," he says. He's still breathing hard but the tent in his pants is gone and his eyes have relaxed in intensity.

"I'm sorry," I say, still impressed with his self control, "It's just that we don't have enough time right now and I don't want you to go to work frustrated. Its bad enough that's the state I left you in last night." I can feel my cheeks turning red even though I should be comfortable with this topic considering where on his body I have had my hands.

"The state you left me in last night?" he says with a crinkle in his brow. "I was happy when you left. I mean, I wanted you to stay, but I was happy. Were you not happy?" he says, sounding alarmed.

"Oh, no! I mean yes! I mean...I was very happy. Extremely happy. That was...yes! I was happy!" Oh god, Sookie! Stop rambling! Geez, I sound like a moron!

"Okay..." he says, obviously confused. "I don't even remember what this conversation is about. We were both happy...what were you saying?"

"Um, nothing. It doesn't matter. So, what is your plan for today? Working late again?" His shirt is open still and I feel like there is a mantra of _don't look at his chest, don't look at his chest_ going through my mind. I'm like one of those annoying men who speak to a woman's breasts but he is just so well built, I'm having a hard time looking at his eyes.

"I'm not sure but probably, since I still have things to catch up on. Oh! But I forgot to tell you that the agency called with the names of three nannies so I was hoping you could call them today and try to schedule them all for interviews. Is that okay? I would do it but things are crazy at work. I was thinking that if you want to come over on Saturday, we could interview them and then I could take you and Annika out to eat. Do you think you'd want to?"

Ooh! Saturday with him? Yes, please! My mouth curves into a big smile as I say yes.

"That's a great idea!" I say, "So, schedule them for the morning if they can?" _Eyes- look at his eyes._

"Yes, thank you," he says buttoning his shirt at last. I think he forgot that he wasn't dressed yet.

I follow him up the stairs when he goes up and watch as he combs his hair and gets a tie and some socks. He tucks his shirt in and I cant help but think that I would love to have my hands where his are- down his pants. God, something is wrong with me!

"What?" he says and I'm surprised it's taken him this long to say something. I've been staring at him for a while now.

"Nothing. I just like to look at you."

"Well, I like to do more than look at you," he says stalking towards me with dark eyes.

"Ah, ah, sugar. More will come later," I say, backing up slightly as he comes closer. The look that flashes across his face is so full of desire that it makes my stomach coil briefly and I think that later just turned into now.

And because babies always know the exact moment to interrupt, Annika starts crying across the hall.

I grin at him as I walk away because the look on his face is so comically crestfallen. He may even be into pouting territory.

"I'll make it up to you. I promise," I say before I leave the room.

Annika is happy to see me and she stops crying and reaches for me with a big smile.

"Ooh, I love you baby girl!" I say to her bright face before realizing that if Eric hears me tell his baby that I love her, he might think it's strange.

I change Annika's diaper and dress her and Eric comes in halfway through. He walks up behind me and puts his arms around me and his head on my shoulder. I want to sink back against him, he just makes me feel warm and happy.

"God morgon, Annika," he says to her. I can tell what that means!

"Good morning, right?" I say and he nods against my shoulder. "I think it's so sweet that you are speaking Swedish to her now."

"Well, you encouraged me to. So thank you."

"Yeah, well, I might not be so happy about it down the line when she's like two and really starts talking and I can't understand a thing you two are saying!" Crap. Did I really just insert myself into his life more than a year from now? That's pretty creepy.

He's quiet, and that worries me. But I have no idea what to say so I finish dressing Annika quickly so that we can go downstairs. Once I pick her up, he backs away from me and follows me down the stairs.

"I'm just going to make her a bottle," I say as I sit Annika in her chair and practically run into the kitchen.

Shit! I don't want to scare him by getting too serious too fast, and talking about something that wont happen for a year is too fast. Definitely!

Eric comes into the kitchen and hugs me again, watching over my shoulder while I make the bottle. There is not much to do, just measure and shake, but when he doesn't back up when the bottle is obviously made, I wonder what's going through that mind of his. I'm not facing him to be able to see his expression and he hasn't said anything so I am at a loss.

"Eric?" I say.

"Hmm?" he says as if I had just woken him up.

"You okay?"

"Yes," he sighs, and then he straightens up and says, "Yes! Great!" Hmm, great and strange maybe.

I pour Annika's formula into her sippy cup and set it down in front of her along with some cheerios.

"You leaving now?" I ask Eric.

He gives me sad eyes, "Yeah, unfortunately, I have to. I wish I could stay home with you two," he looks from Annika to me, obviously wistful of the times we got to spend all day together.

I walk up to him and smooth my hands across his chest and then down around his back to hug his waist. "Aww, honey, we'll miss you too. But I'll be over tomorrow and I'll see you after work. I'll make dinner if you call and tell me when you'll be home, okay?"

"Sookie, you don't have to make me dinner. I don't want you to feel like you have to cook for me all the time."

"Nonsense. I'd be cooking for myself, in fact, just you is easy! I usually cook for Amelia and her girlfriend and my other suitemate John, who somehow always manages to be around at dinner time. He's like a stray kitten and I can't help but feed him."

We are talking face to face, my head tilted up and his turned down and when I mentioned John, I definitely saw a flash of jealous anger cross his features. He really should not be jealous of a sophomore with the grooming habits of a stray animal.

"Come here, you," I say as I reach up and grab his face. I pull him down and kiss him hard with closed lips. "I want to make you dinner, okay? Just say yes," I say before kissing him again, this time with soft gentle lips that capture his.

"Yes," he says, before licking my bottom lip. I open my mouth to him and he slips his hands into my hair and tilts my head, deepening our kiss. He steps closer to me and presses his body to mine and once again I can feel him getting aroused. He keeps starting things so who am I to stop them? I'm going to keep kissing him until he pulls away.

I can tell by his heaving chest and fervently exploring hands that he is really revving himself up. He will either be frustrated or late for work at this point. I would offer to help him out but with Annika awake, I can't think of a way for that to happen.

"Da da!" she shrieks because they seem to have a sixth sense about these things and I'm sure she knows I was just thinking about her.

He releases me so fast I stumble backwards. His arm shoots out to catch me before he strides quickly to Annika's highchair and kneels on one knee before her. He wipes his large hand across his mouth and then kisses the top of her head.

He speaks to her in soft rapid Swedish and I wonder what he's saying because I swear I heard my name.

"Are you talking about me?" I ask, coming up to them at the table.

"Yup," he says, looking mighty smug. I know he's not going to tell me what he said so I don't even ask.

He stands up. "Okay, I really need to go," he says quickly.

"Hey, do you ever eat breakfast?" I ask. I don't think I've ever seen him eat on a work morning.

"Coffee?" he says and I give him a look. He grins, "They get pastries at work so I eat that sometimes. Sookie, if you make me breakfast I'm going to feel awful, okay?"

He must be able to see my disappointment with his eating habits. "Okay, I wont, but you need to eat better. Annika will be big enough for regular foods really soon so you will have to stock your fridge with groceries instead of take-out."

He nods at me but I can tell by his eyes that I've offended him or something. He starts to walk away, putting on his suit jacket. "I have to go," he says.

Shit. "No, no, no, Eric, don't do that. I upset you. I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with what you've been doing, okay?" I walk up to him and pull his face down. "Okay? I didn't mean to make you feel bad. You are doing great," I say as I run my thumb across his cheekbone. The man has impossibly beautiful cheekbones! He shivers and it makes his whole body jerk. I smile at his response to my touch and he returns my smile with an adorable blush on his cheeks.

"Okay," he says quietly, his smile fading as he turns from me. I feel like shit. I know he's worried about being good enough for Annika and here I basically told him he's doing a shitty job of feeding her.

"I'll call you with the nanny information. I left it at work," he says, putting on his coat and shoes.

"Sure, I'll try to set something up as soon as I can," I say, following him to Annika's side. He kisses her head and whispers something against her soft curls. She lifts her face to look at him and reaches for him so he kisses her tiny fingers and then puts her hand back onto her highchair tray. He is _such_ a good father and nothing like the bastard he grew up with and I feel so horrible for what I said to him.

"You're a wonderful dad, Eric," I say softly to him. He looks at me and gives me a placating smile, a small upturn of his mouth with no genuine happiness evident on his face.

"Bye, Sookie," he says before grabbing his briefcase and heading to the door.

"Wait!" I say, walking quickly to catch him before he leaves. "Wait, Eric." I reach my hand out to grasp his arm and turn him towards me. I slip my hands around his middle, under both of his jackets and press the side of my face to his chest. I can hear the steady beat of his heart and its quickening pace as I continue to hold him. He still has his briefcase in one hand so he encircles my shoulder with his other arm and puts his hand on my head, holding me to his chest. He drops his head to kiss my hair and he stays there breathing deeply until I take a step back. I put my hand under his chin and briefly trace his bottom lip with my thumb before stretching up to kiss him softly. I so badly want to whisper_ I love you_ and _I'm sorry_ and so many other things that I think he needs to hear but instead I simply say goodbye and watch with a sigh as he walks outside to his car.

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ERIC

I wake up feeling ridiculously happy and at first I can't remember why. But as the haze of sleep leaves my mind, I remember being with Sookie last night and finally undressing her and touching her and tasting her. I groan aloud as I remember her soft warm body and glistening skin. She was so hot and tight around my fingers I can't help imagining another very eager part of my anatomy in her wet center. She will be here soon so I reluctantly roll out of bed and into the shower so I can be ready when she gets here.

She's early and I'm still half dressed when I hear the doorbell. She's seen it all before so I walk downstairs to let her in. At least I have pants on so I don't think she'll care that my shirt is not buttoned.

As soon as I see her, all thoughts of anything else in the world fly from my mind. She is all that I can sense, she is all that I want. I grab her and pull her inside. Maybe a little roughly, I realize, but she doesn't seem to mind. I quickly cover her mouth with my own and plunge my tongue between her open lips. I need her, I missed her, I want her. I feel almost feral in my need to consume her. I want to taste every inch of her mouth and I know my grasp on her neck is tight but she's still kissing me back so it must be okay.

When I feel her hands on my bare chest and stomach I remember my shirt is open. Her hands are stoking the heat in my pants, causing me to stir against her. Then she pinches my nipples and a jolt goes straight down my body to my rapidly hardening cock, making me suck in air. I make that same growly noise that keeps coming out of my mouth before I can stop it. She does it to me and I can't get enough.

Somewhere in my aroused oblivion, I hear the word stop so I drop my hands from her body and take a step back, putting unwanted distance between us. My chest is heaving but I'm trying to calm down because for some reason she wants me to stop.

She tells me we don't have enough time for where that kissing was leading so she wants to stop. Okay, but then she says something about the state she left me in last night and I'm confused because I had a good time last night. Didn't she? Shit! But she says she did so now I really don't know what she's talking about.

Anyway, she drops that subject which gives me a chance to tell her about the nanny information I got yesterday at work. I totally forgot about it yesterday because I was so eager to give her my gifts. I'm grateful she will set up interviews, both so that we can get it over with and pick a new nanny and so she'll come over tomorrow and spend the day with me. And hopefully the night.

I glance down and notice my shirt is still open so I button it as I walk upstairs. Sookie follows me and she just kind of stares at me while I get ready. She stands at the bathroom door and watches me comb my hair. She watches me choose a tie and put on socks. It is a little unnerving to be stared at like she's doing. When I start to tuck my shirt into my slacks, she stares at my crotch with her bottom lip between her teeth and I finally ask her what she's doing.

She likes to look at me she says. Well, yeah. I like to look at her but I like to touch her more and I tell her as much as I walk towards her to do just that. She tries to stop me, telling me to wait until later but I want her now and by the look in her eyes I think she changed her mind about later.

But then, of course, Annika wakes up and starts crying. Sookie goes to get her while I try to will my erection away. Meeting Sookie has been an almost constant exercise in self-control and sometimes it just fucking sucks.

As I am tying my tie, I swear I hear Sookie tell my baby girl that she loves her and my heart falls into my stomach and then decides to get stuck in my throat on it's way back up. Does she love my girl? Why does that make me ridiculously happy and make me want to cry at the same time? Is there such thing as emotional flu because I think I have that. Just way too many emotions coming up since I met Sookie and I don't really like it. I like her, I just don't know if I can handle the rest of this.

As if to test my theory that she brings up unwanted emotions, while I'm hugging her as she dresses Annika, she says something about not understanding our Swedish when Anni is two. _Two_- which would mean she wants to be around in a year, more than a year. And suddenly my heart is hammering in my chest because while I do imagine her in my future, knowing she does too makes this thing we have so much more real. And that is fucking scary as hell because sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in her and as much as I want her to envelop me, I'm scrambling for air just as much. And I don't want to, I don't want to let my past affect me but maybe it does. Because what I have with Sookie is so good, I should be running towards her, not fucking shaking on the shore.

I follow her down the stairs and as I find myself once again attached to the back of her body, I make up my mind that I will pursue this despite my fears because I feel like she's worth it. She's worth my time and effort and my possible death by emotional overload. What we have could lead to somewhere great and besides, the thought of not being with her causes me more anguish then the fear of being overwhelmed by her. So, when she asks me if I'm okay, my answer is yes. Yes, I'm more than okay. "Yes, great!" in fact.

Then she asks me if I'm leaving and I know I have to but I don't want to and I tell her so. She soothes me with a hug and she calls me honey and asks to make me dinner. What did I ever do to deserve her? Nothing- I don't deserve her and I don't want her to think she needs to make me dinner. But when I tell her that, she says she cooks for her friends anyway. One of which is named John- and fucking John better keep his hands to himself and be fucking grateful for the fucking dinner he gets!

She reaches up and grabs my face, firmly planting her lips on mine and I forget all about that freeloading fucker. She tells me to say yes and I'm not sure why because she's really close to me and that's all I can think about. She kisses me again and I say yes like she wanted and then pull her closer to me to kiss her thoroughly. She feels so good against my body with her silky hair between my fingers so I let my hands roam over her. She's all curves and soft skin and I'm on sensory overload trying to take it all in. Maybe I'll just be late for work and take her upstairs right now.

Then I hear Anni say my name and I feel horrible that I let my dick do my thinking for a minute. I can't have Sookie with Annika right here! Shit! I step back from Sookie so fast that she stumbles. Shit! I steady her and then walk over to Annika to pay her some attention before I have to leave. Really, I should have left ten minutes ago.

I tell Annika in Swedish that I'm sorry I ignored her but that Sookie makes me do silly things and that I think she likes Sookie just as much as I do so she should be happy for me. I'm just being stupid, I know she doesn't understand. But neither does Sookie, a fact that makes me happy right now, much to her adorable annoyance.

I get up and tell Sooke that I really need to leave and she asks me if I eat breakfast. I swear to god, if she offers to make me breakfast, I will yell at her! I tell her I have coffee and occasional pastries but that's not good enough for her, of course. I can tell by her face so I tell her I don't want her making me breakfast and she tells me that I need to do a better job feeding Annika. My heart sinks as I mentally inventory my shelves and my fridge and realize she is right. I need to go grocery shopping more regularly for Annika's sake. Well, just one more thing I fucked up.

"I have to go," I tell her and then I start to walk away and put on my suit jacket and Sookie stops me and tells me she didn't mean to make me feel bad and that I'm doing a great job. Yeah. Stellar.

Her hand is on my face and she caresses me in a way that makes my whole body spasm somehow. She smiles at me and it makes me smile and blush because that was a ridiculous reaction. I turn and finish getting ready to go, telling her I will call her later from work. I walk up to Annika and whisper an apology to her because she's stuck with me and I keep fucking things up. Sookie follows me and tries to tell me that I'm a wonderful dad but that can't be true.

I say goodbye, intent on leaving for real this time, but she stops me and comes to hug me, laying her head on my chest. Her touch always makes my heart race and this is no exception even though I feel like shit. I know she feels bad for what she said to me but it was true so she shouldn't. I put my free arm around her and my face against her hair and breathe deeply. Her scent always makes me feel better. She pulls back and kisses me gently and looks at me tenderly and that makes me feel better too. She says goodbye to me and I finally walk out to go to work. Only about twenty minutes later than I should have.

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**Thanks for reading guys! I get so happy every time someone adds this story to an alert and every time a review comes in! I didn't get a chance to personally thank every reviewer this time so let me say a big thank you now! I appreciate the time you take to review!**

**I know this chapter didn't move them along very far (it's 5,000 words covering less than an hour of their time together, lol) but I wanted you to see Eric's state of mind through everything that happened this morning. Sookie realized that she loves him, which is a big step for her and Eric decided that he won't hold back because she is worth pursuing seriously even though it terrifies him. I think that's a big decision for him because he could easily delude himself into thinking the fear and possible heartbreak is not worth it but instead he decides that even if all these feelings make him uncomfortable, he will let himself feel them. And this conscious decision will make it easier for him to realize he loves her and to maybe not freak out so badly once he does. So, he's making progress, albeit slowly. Though he is still woefully hard on himself.**

**And I promise I have a plan for them to do the deed and it will be soon but I'm not sure how many chapters it will take to get there if this one only spanned a hour, lol! So stick with me and I hope it will be worth the wait. :)**


	20. Chapter 20

ERIC

"You're late!" Pam hisses at me as soon as she sees me. "Madden has been sitting in your office for ten minutes!"

Pam's pissed at me. Shit. What the fuck does Madden want anyway?

"Did she say why she is here?"

"No! And she didn't want to wait until after the meeting to talk to you. Where the hell were you? You are never late!" Yeah, except for the day I met the reason why I am late today. Shit.

"I'm sorry, Pam. I don't have an excuse." Shit, I'm just fucking up all over the place today. Work is the one area of my life where I feel completely competent and now I just fucked this up too. Fuck!

I calm down, plaster a congenial smile onto my face, and open the door to my office.

"Mrs. Madden, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I ask her in that fucking fake way people ask that question. Really, it is no pleasure. I can't stand this woman. The only reason I tolerate her is because her company is currently paying mine a shitload of money to facilitate a merger between DeCastro Scientific and Threadgill Technologies.

Madden is DeCastro's Mergers and Acquisitions Manager. She is giving Threadgill a run for his money, refusing almost every concession at first look and proving to be a very difficult working partner in this merger. Which, given Peter Threadgill's connection to Sophie and her family, the Leclerqs, makes me a little happy. But just a little because this hostile working relationship just gives me more work to do.

"You've kept me waiting for ten minutes," she whines petulantly, "I do hope you will make up for my lost time," she says as she walks up to me where I'm removing my coat and fingers my tie.

Did I mention that I hate this woman? —This would be why. Apparently she has decided that my connection, however weak, to the Leclerqs, makes me fair game to torture. She comes on to me regularly and then makes my life a living hell for the few days after an unsuccessful attempt to coerce me into her bed. I have told her off countless times but I can't be too harsh because my boss would be livid if I did something to jeopardize this deal. In fact, I'm sure I'd be out on my ass and I can't let that happen with Annika to care for. So I cringe while this woman breathes on me and grit my teeth as she brushes her fingers along my thigh and back up slowly when she comes too close with her body. Then I tell her for the hundredth time that we are only business associates and nothing more as I excuse myself from her company. She just keeps trying again and I fucking hate it but there is nothing else I can do.

Pam has seen a little of how she treats me but Madden knows how to be discreet. If I can just get through the next few weeks, her merger will be done and I can go back to my little area of the world and she can go back to hers and I will hopefully never be so under her control again.

But right now, I still have to deal with her.

"I am sorry you had to wait," I tell her as I sit behind my desk, "But I was not expecting to see you until the meeting at ten."

"Oh, that stupid meeting. If those idiots at Threadgill would just agree with me, this would all be settled. Then we would no longer be business associates, Eric. And we would be free to be more," she says suggestively with what I'm sure she thinks is a seductive look.

It just turns my stomach, however, as do her words. She always calls me Eric as if I am some little boy toy, some subject under her rule. I wish one of these times she would choke on my name. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Madden, I'm not sure I understand what you are getting at. When the merger is over, we will then have no relationship whatsoever," I say clearly, hoping she will get the message.

She makes a horrendous pouty face and tells me to call her Victoria, and I can only hope that I am successfully hiding my disgust. She comes around to sit on the edge of my desk and causes some papers to fall. Of course, she bends down with her ass in the air to pick them up. As she sets them back on my desk, I notice that one of them is the paper with the nanny information written on it and I resent her for keeping me from Sookie because she is expecting my call.

Now she's really pissing me off but I clench my jaw as her hand comes slowly for my knee. Before she can touch me, I stand up abruptly and ask her if there is something she needs right now, otherwise I will see her at the meeting.

She stands up with a sigh and as she's walking towards my door she says, "DeCastro put me in charge for one reason, Eric. I always get what I want."

Fuck her. Actually, that's just what she wants. Goddamn! I don't want her to ruin my whole fucking day so I need to relax. I have to see her again in thirty minutes and with the way I feel right now, if she tries something I will get fired for my reaction. Shit! I decide to call Sookie because she is always good at helping me calm down. I need to give her the nanny information anyway.

She sounds happy to hear from me and the sound of her voice soothes the anger that's making my pulse race.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asks me. She always knows when something is up with me. Always. The thought of how good she is for me and the fact that I love when she calls me honey, helps me to relax even further and I feel okay again. Her presence, even just over the phone, works wonders for my mood.

"Ah, just some exasperating executive who's making things difficult for me. It's okay. I can handle it."

"Want me to kick his ass?" she asks and I laugh. She actually sounds serious, which is both adorable and heart warming.

"I wish, Sookie. The exec is a she, though. But it's nothing I can't handle. I've been dealing with her for a while now."

"Wait! Is this the exec that puts her hands on you? Because I _will_ kick her ass, Eric!"

Oh, shit. I forgot I told her about that when I was less than sober. Shit! "Yeah, Sookie, but it's fine. I just have to deal with her for a few more weeks."

"No, Eric, it's not fine! Did you tell her to stop? She can't get away with that. Is she still touching you inappropriately?"

She's getting angry and shrill and this is not helping my mood. "Sookie! I said I can handle it!" I say more harshly than I want to. I take a calming breath and then start again. "She doesn't usually touch me anymore after I told her to stop but she was drinking that night in New York. I don't let her get that close to me anymore." Shit. I don't need this.

"Drinking is not an excuse for abominable behavior. If it was a man harassing a woman wouldn't you say something?"

I sigh. I have thought of all this. "Sookie, there is no way she could overpower me so it's not the same..."

"She has already overpowered you, Eric, just not by might. You're afraid of the repercussions if you cause problems for her. She holds all the power already. This is not right, Eric." She has quieted her voice and is now speaking gently to me but that doesn't make it easier to hear what she has to say. She is right, of course.

"I know it's not right but I'm trying to save my job here. If I said to her what I want to say, I'd get fired," I say.

"Well, let's try to think of something that you _can_ do. Did you tell Pam?"

"No."

"Well, that should be your first step. Telling someone who can help you. I know Pam will have your back. You shouldn't have to deal with this on your own."

The way she's talking about this makes me think it's something she has had to deal with herself and that thought makes me sick to my stomach.

"Sookie?" I say gently.

"Yeah?"

"Has this...Did someone..." I don't know how to ask the question.

"A long time ago, Eric," she says, cutting in, "And things only got better because I said something."

"A long time ago?" I repeat, thinking of what that means since she's only 23. The thoughts running through my head make my hands and stomach clench and I have the sudden urge to murder someone. I wish Sookie was in front of me, I would fold her into my arms and never let her go.

"I'm okay now Eric. I had a lot of counseling between my parents and that. I'm okay. And just like you, I don't want this to change how you see me, understand?"

"Yes, I understand. I'm sorry, Sookie," I say, not even knowing exactly what I'm apologizing for.

"Eric, just tell Pam or something and make this bitch stop messing with you. I know you are trying to protect your interests but it can't go on."

"Okay, I'm going to tell Pam and she can help me think of something. Thanks, Sookie. I appreciate how much you care."

Pam pops her head into my office and motions to the clock on the wall because we have business to go over before the meeting in twenty minutes. Shit, okay.

"Sookie, I have to go but let me give you the nanny information. If you get something set up, call Pam's number and leave a message because I have meetings all morning but I'm anxious to hear. And thank you so much for all your help," I say, meaning with the nannies and everything else. I quickly give her the names and phone numbers for the three nanny candidates and then we say goodbye.

Pam comes in all the way once I'm off the phone and sits down in front of my desk.

"What did Madden want? She's such a nuisance," says Pam.

"Actually, Pam, you have no idea," I say and then I tell her the whole story with Victoria Madden, starting with her cornering me outside the first meeting to her fingering my tie and reaching for my knee this morning.

Pam is livid by the time I'm done. I think she's more angry than even I am.

"You have to do something, Eric! We have to do something. That bitch will not get away with this!"

"Thanks, Pam. Sookie called her a bitch too and she said you'd have my back."

"I love that girl," she says.

"Me too," I agree and Pam looks at me with one raised eyebrow. "You know what I mean," I say.

"I do," is all she says.

We have to switch to talking about the meeting because we only have a few minutes left but Pam assures me that we will come up with something to take care of the Madden situation and knowing Pam, it will be good.

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SOOKIE

I get off the phone with Eric feeling nauseous. Both because of the reminder of my past and because of the current situation that he's dealing with at work. That man has so much on his shoulders it's a wonder he can walk upright. I can't believe he was just going to let that bitch keep bothering him. I know he is trying to save his job and he just wants to be left alone in his little area of work but he can't let someone do that to him. I'm glad he said he would tell Pam because if anyone can kick some exec ass in a creative way, it's Pam.

I look down at the paper I wrote the nanny information on and decide to call Janna first. I would normally wait for Annika's nap to make phone calls but she is playing quietly and if we want to interview these women tomorrow, I need to give them as much notice as I can.

I dial Janna's number and when she picks up and I make sure it's her, I introduce myself and tell her I am calling on behalf of Eric Northman about a nanny position for ten-month-old Annika.

"Oh yes!" she says, "The agency told me you would call."

"Yes, well, I'm calling to ask if you would be available to come to Mr. Northman's house for an interview tomorrow morning some time? The position needs to be filled by next week and we'd like to give Annika a chance to get used to a new caretaker."

"Tomorrow morning? Sure. I could come at ten, is that good?"

"Perfect! Let me give you his address. Are you familiar with Beacon Hill?"

"He lives on Beacon Hill?" she says, sounding way too eager.

"Uh, yes. Do you know the area?"

"I know of it. Are you his secretary?" she asks. Okay, this bitch is getting nosy and annoying!

"No, I'm just helping him choose a new nanny."

"Oh, well, I know where Beacon Hill is and I'm sure I could find it if I have the address."

I give her the address and we hang up. I'm now dreading these interviews. Any girl who spends even a small amount of time with Eric is going to like him and depending on what kind of a person she is, she will pursue him if she has the chance. He is a catch. Anyone who spends five minutes with him can tell that. Despite being absolutely gorgeous, he is successful and well- mannered. And if they got to know him, they'd know that he is also sweet and thoughtful. Plus he's a good cook and an excellent father. Oh my god! This is going to be so hard. How can I hand my Annika off to another woman who might want to jump her father? God knows I wanted to as soon as I met him. My Annika...well –yes, I want to claim her. I love her and I want her to be mine.

I groan out loud as I dial the second number. The woman is named Yvetta and she has a foreign accent. Everything she says is a purr and I immediately dislike her. I can just imagine her big fake boobs and skimpy outfits. Ok, so that's not very fair but the green-eyed monster has a clear hold on me and I just want to tell all these prospective nannies that Eric is mine and I will shank them if they come too near him. I give Yvetta the speech about who I am and why I'm calling and we make an appointment for 9:15 tomorrow morning. Two down, one to go.

The last one is named Jessica and she is not there so I leave her a message to call me back today if she can.

With that out of the way, I turn my attention to Annika and we play until nap time. Soon after she wakes up, Mary comes by to clean since it's Friday. We chat as she cleans the kitchen and I feed Annika her lunch.

The phone rings so I excuse myself and answer it. It's Jessica calling back and she says she can't come tomorrow because she has plans with her boyfriend that she just can't break. But if she has a boyfriend, that means she is less likely to go after mine so I go ahead and schedule her for Monday just before nap time so that she can meet Annika and then I can talk to her when Annika goes to sleep. If Eric is not okay with me meeting her by myself, I can call her to reschedule. Since we are in a time crunch, I don't think he'll mind me handling this one by myself.

"Are you not going to be her nanny anymore?" Mary asks once I'm off the phone.

"Unfortunately not. I'm in school and it starts back up after next week. This was just temporary for me so I'm helping Eric find a replacement that will hopefully stick around for the long haul."

"You know, I have a very dear friend who is looking for a nanny position. Her last son just left for college last Fall and she is looking to fill her days. I think little Annika would love her. She was a teacher before she left the workforce to raise her three sons and now that they are all out of the nest, she has more time than she knows what to do with!"

"I would love to take down her information and talk to Eric about it. She sounds great!" Great and not a boyfriend stealer since she has her own grown sons! This could be perfect! I don't want to seem too eager because I still need to talk to Eric and we still have the women scheduled for tomorrow but one more potential nanny is a good thing.

"Sure," says Mary, "Let me write down her name and number." She gets a pen and a small piece of paper from her bag and writes the information before handing it to me.

"Haley Robinson," I say, reciting the name out loud, "Thanks!"

As Mary cleans, we continue to chat and she tells me a little more about her friend Haley. She asks me about school and I tell her about my major and she tells me her son Barry loves all that "brain stuff" too.

Soon she leaves and after I put Annika down for her second nap, I call Eric to tell him about the interviews I scheduled. Pam answers so I give her the rundown including Mary's recommendation of Haley. She says she will let Eric know as soon as she can.

"Sookie," she says, and I brace myself because, really, who knows what will come out of her mouth. "Thank you."

Ok, well, that's nice. "For what, Pam?"

"For caring about him. He told me about that bitch Madden, and if you hadn't made him say something, he would have tried to just ignore it and handle everything by himself. He's used to being on his own, to taking care of himself, but he needs you, Sookie. So keep at him, you got it?" she says this in the way girlfriends would talk to each other and it makes me happy to think we might be becoming friends.

"I got it!" I say, smiling.

"Oh, he wanted me to tell you that he will be very late tonight. He said maybe between 9 and 10 because Madden has him doing some report that she wants early tomorrow. Frankly, I think she's angry at him because he thwarts her advances. But of course, if she wants the report, he has to do it. He was really pissed and sorry that he will be so late for you."

"Well, that stinks. Stupid bitch. Tell him I'll miss him."

"Sure, Sookie. Will do. Bye."

The rest of the day goes by pretty slowly and by the time Annika is ready for bed, I am feeling antsy and bored. She takes her longer than usual to fall asleep, probably because it was a long boring day and we were housebound because of weather. It has been below zero all day. I was practically frozen on my walk from the T station this morning and I have no intention of walking back tonight, especially if Eric will be so late.

And he is late. When I hear his key in the door, I look at my phone and see that it is close to ten o'clock. I quickly text goodbye to Amelia, who has been keeping me virtual company, and stand up to greet him at the door.

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ERIC

Sookie is right in front of me when I finally make it inside my house. She has a big smile for me and it makes the stress of work melt off my shoulders.

"Hi, honey, I'm ho-ome," I call out in a joking manner. She grabs me by the lapels of my coat and pulls me towards her. I lower my mouth to hers and she kisses me like I just came home from war –full of passion and slightly desperate. It leaves me breathless.

"You are so cold, Eric!" she gasps as she backs up.

I grab her playfully and stick my cold hands under her sweater. She squeals and bats at me but I just keep moving my hands over her warm back. In an effort to stay away from the cold, she arches her back and moves forward and that brings her right where I want her –into my arms.

"Ha ha ha! My plan was successful!" I say like a mad scientist. She giggles and smacks my ass. "Mmm, I like that," I say, "But you haven't even seen my naughty side."

"Oh yeah?" she counters, but then I quickly unhook her bra because my hands are on her back and it is just there by my fingers begging to be undone. "Hey!" she laughs.

Her laughter turns to a low moan as my hands come around to her front and tease her nipples underneath her slackened bra. I bring my lips down to her neck and lick and nibble from her clavicle up to her soft lips. Her hand is in my hair and she keeps tugging it harder as my mouth moves over her warm skin. I kind of like it, the hair pulling, and I growl as she yanks my head back up to hers.

"Maybe you're the naughty one," I tell her, "Hair pulling is _so bad_." I lean in to kiss her but she pulls her head back and winks at me. Goddamn, do I want her.

She backs away from me with a twinkle in her eye, biting her bottom lip, and I watch as she pulls off her sweater and lets her bra fall to the floor. Damn, she is so fucking sexy.

I shrug off my coat and suit jacket and leave them in a pile by my feet. She crooks her finger at me, beckoning me forward. Holy shit, she can have me! I'm hers.

She has on these sexy stretchy pants and she pulls them down and then wiggles them off her hips and it reminds me of when I've watched her sway like a belly dancer on my cameras. My dick remembers too and he's now standing at attention, waiting for some, well, attention. Her pants fall to the floor and she steps out of them and then turns around and walks towards the couch.

Oh, fuck. Her fucking panties! I don't know what these are called, women have so many different names for panties. This tiny scrap of lace she has on covers only half of her gorgeous round ass and I use the word cover loosely since they are practically see-through.

"You're killing me," I groan as I follow behind her like a pet. The sway of her hips and her ponytail have me almost hypnotized and I feel light headed as all my blood rushes to other parts of my body.

She stops in front of the couch and my breath speeds up as I remember what I did to her there. I want to touch and taste her again. I reach for her, as I stand in front of her but she steps away from me and pushes me to sit down. I flop down onto the couch and she comes closer to me so I reach up quickly and pull her into my lap before she knows what's happening.

She squeaks in surprise but then my mouth is on hers and she can't make any noise besides her muffled moans. As I kiss her, I let my hands roam over her body and she gasps against my lips as my fingers stroke her over her panties. She's hot and wet, I can tell that through the fabric, but I move it aside so that I can feel her slick skin. I'm still kissing her, so I swallow her moans and her gasps as my fingers move over her clit. She rubs her hand along my cock and bites my bottom lip, tugging it between her teeth. Oh, fuck. I'm going to push her against the wall and fuck her hard and fast if she keeps it up with the teeth.

"Sookie," I say, panting, "Lie down on the couch. I want to taste you."

"No," she says, smiling coyly and rubbing me harder.

If she wants to play that, I can play that. I move the fingers that have been rubbing her clit down and push two inside of her, immediately curling them to find her g-spot. She gasps and grabs onto my shoulders, squeezing hard.

"Sookie," I say again, "Do you want me to lick your clit? Do you want to feel my tongue on you?" I sure as fuck do.

"Oh, god," she says.

"Not really, but I'm close."

She looks at me and I smirk as I push the heel of my hand up against her clit. Her smile falters as she closes her eyes and moans my name. I love it when she says my name and when she moans it, it's a thousand times better. I dip my head and lick each pebbled nipple before sucking one and then gently biting it. She gasps and her hips buck.

"Sookie, lie down so I can lick you."

Finally, she moves from my lap and lies down. I kneel in front of her legs and pull them at an angle, resting my top half on the couch between her thighs. I pull off her soaked panties and lick her with a flat tongue along the whole length of her glistening slit. She wriggles and moans. I push my fingers back inside her and rub her firmly while I suck her clit into my mouth and move my tongue over it. She climaxes almost immediately and cries out loudly.

I lift my head, laughing as I cover her mouth with my hand. "Shh," I say with a grin. I'm just teasing her and she teases back by biting the hand over her mouth. I immediately move it and replace it with my lips.

As she kisses me, she sits up, pushing me back. Once I'm seated on the couch, she kneels in front of me and puts her hand on my very hard and very eager erection and my cock jumps as her fingernails scrape lightly along my shaft over my pants. Seeing her kneeling naked between my legs is such a weird experience. It's such a submissive position and that's not how I see her but I have to admit it's sexy as hell.

She unfastens my pants and pulls my cock out and I stop breathing. "Beautiful," she whispers before she dips down and sweetly kisses the head. Does she think my cock is beautiful? Big, hard, thick- yes, I've heard that but I've never heard beautiful before. I'm wet from being hard for so long and it gets on her lips as she kisses me, making them shiny. She darts her tongue out of her mouth, licks it off her lips, and as she moans, this wave of intense heat sweeps through me starting in my abdomen. I twitch in her hand and she smiles. I'm still completely clothed- tie and everything- and she is completely naked and something about that really appeals to me. It just seems so bad –in a good way. When she finally puts her mouth on me I'm going to embarrass myself by climaxing way too fast. It's just been so long since a woman has had her mouth anywhere near my cock and she feels so good.

She lets go of me and I want to scream _no_! I am so hard right now it hurts but instead of putting her hands on my erection, she is running them up and down my thighs. It feels good, kind of like a massage but that's not what I want right now. Every once in a while she dips her head and kisses my cock and it jumps, which she smiles at. She is looking at me, she knows she's teasing me.

"Snälla," I plead. I need her to touch me.

She knits her brows together. "Was that English?" she asks. I don't know if it was or not, I'm too excited, I'm not thinking straight.

"Please, Sookie!" I say, giving her my best begging face. Doesn't she know how much I need her?

She smiles and dips her head back down to lick the underside of my shaft from base to tip, eliciting an embarrassingly loud groan from my mouth. She looks up at me from under her lashes and grins just before her mouth descends on the head of my cock. Fuck! Her mouth is so hot.

She sucks hard and then takes her hand off me to use both hands to pull my pants further down, exposing me fully. I'm not sure why she does that until I feel her hand cup my balls. My stomach muscles tighten and my hips jump and I'm immediately sorry because I'm not trying to shove myself down her throat. I look at her and she does not look bothered, thankfully. She puts her other hand on my shaft again and takes me into her mouth and soon I'm lost in the sensations she is creating on my most sensitive body parts.

I feel her hair tickling my hip as she moves her head. I feel her hand firmly wrapped around the base of my shaft stroking me in time with the rhythm of her mouth. I feel her mouth, hot and wet, and her tongue, soft and smooth, licking and swirling on the extra sensitive underside of my cock. Her lips are gliding over me, sucking hard. The only sounds in the room are the wet sounds her mouth is making as she moves up and down over me, and my ragged breathing.

Her hand is on my balls, tugging and caressing. Then it moves down under them and I tense, not knowing where her fingers are headed. But they stop right under my sac, pressing into the sensitive flesh there. My hips jerk again. Fuck, that's good. No one's ever touched me there before. It feels so fucking good. But the best part? Her eyes on mine. Fucking sexy. We have this connection right now and it feels like her consciousness is buzzing in my head, like I couldn't look away from her if I tried. It's powerful and alluring.

All these sensations are overwhelming me and as I feel the familiar coil of heat tighten in my belly, I know I can not hold back any longer even if I wanted to. I reach down and grasp her shoulder. I can tell by her eyes that she understands I'm close but then she doesn't move. Maybe she doesn't understand.

"Sookie, I'm gonna cum," I pant, making sure I'm speaking English.

She moves her mouth and I'm relieved that she understands. "Yeah, Eric. Come on darlin'," she says quickly before she goes back to sucking my cock.

_Oh, fuck!_

She's going to let me cum in her mouth! That realization sends a wave of euphoric pleasure crashing through me. Every muscle in my body tenses and I can no longer maintain eye contact with her because my eyes roll back as my head falls back against the couch.

"Oh fuck! Oh my god!" I say before my hips buck and I spill into her mouth with a loud moan. My whole body is tingling and almost vibrating with pleasure that comes in waves with my release. Her mouth, which never moves off of me, keeps working over me until my body unclenches and I relax.

She stands up smiling and kisses me lightly on the lips, where my head is still resting against the couch back.

"Need a minute?" she says softly, with her lips at my ear. The warmth of her breath makes me shiver and she laughs.

"I love it when you do that. You are so responsive to my touch," she whispers into my ear again, this time with her lips lightly brushing my skin. I get goosebumps all over and she laughs again.

"See?" she says, smiling.

"Sookie," I say, taking her hand and looking at her intently, "Will you stay the night tomorrow night?" I hope I can convey, with the heat in my look, just why I want her to stay over. She blushes, so I think she understands.

"I would love to," she says smiling, and her cheeks turn even more red. It's funny to me how she can go from boldly teasing me to shyly agreeing to spend the night.

She looks down and gasps softly, as if she just now realized she is naked. I groan as she walks over to pick up her bra and sweater off the floor. She puts them on quickly and then picks up her wet panties and makes a face.

I stand up quickly and snatch them from her. "You can't put these back on. Let me keep them. I mean, I'll wash them and then you can have them back."

She looks at me suspiciously and shrugs. "Okay, fine, but I want them back."

"Of course," I say, smiling. She will never get these back, I'm sure she knows that. I slip them into my pocket before she can change her mind. They fold to the size of a postage stamp so they fit fine. I zip and button my pants but take off my belt while she pulls on her tight black pants.

"Your ass looks amazing in those, come here," I say pulling her into my arms. My hands go immediately to her ass and I caress and squeeze it.

"Eric," she says, backing up when she feels my dick start to stir, "I have to go now. Will you call a cab for me, it's too cold to walk."

"Yes, of course," I say with a smile. Yes, Then I don't have to worry about her.

I call while she puts on her coat and boots, and then come back out to kiss her for five minutes while we wait. My lips are on hers the entire time, only moving for both of us to breathe. When we hear the honk, we reluctantly part but I'm happy because I will see her in the morning.

"I'll be here around nine o'clock, Eric, but I'll miss you until then," she says sweetly and my heart skips at her words. Watching her walk away makes my chest tighten strangely. I guess because I will miss her too.

I walk upstairs and take a quick look at Anni, sleeping peacefully. I hate when I don't get home in time to put her to bed. At least we have the weekend to spend together.

I get undressed for a shower and then remember Sookie's tiny panties in my pocket. Is it creepy to keep them? Is it creepy to sleep with them? Hmm, probably is. I reluctantly toss them in the hamper along with my clothes but I like the look of our mixed dirty clothes. I'm fucked in the head, right? But if she lived with me, our clothes would mingle all the time. Whoa! Slow down, Northman! Nobody said anything about her living with me.

Shit, I need to take a shower and go to bed. I'm obviously exhausted if I'm considering sleeping with her underwear and living with her already. I shower quickly, trying not to get hard thinking about earlier when her mouth was on me.

I really am tired so as soon as I put on some underwear, I crawl into bed and shut off the light. I see her face perfectly behind my closed eyes and I drift to sleep with a smile.

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**Thanks for reading guys! I hope you liked this chapter! Did you catch their plans for tomorrow night? Oooh! Lol. **

**Do you guys want to stomp Victoria Madden into the ground like I do? Messing with our guy like that- what a bitch! **

**Anyway, I hope you liked this last part! Sookie took care of her man, so no more blue balls, although I think that Eric is going to be like the energizer bunny for a while since he's gone so long without.**

** Please review if you would be so kind! :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry for the slight delay in posting this. My husband was sick all weekend and then I had Easter to prepare for and those two things took up my free time. I still did not get as far as I wanted to with this chapter but I wanted to post something for you to read so I will start right where this one leaves off next time. It's partially written, I'm just not sure I'm all that happy with it.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. A special thank you to all the kind guest reviewers who I can't thank personally! Love you guys!**

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SOOKIE

My alarm wakes me at seven-thirty and I take a quick shower because I have an appointment at eight and I want to go to the store before I have to be at Eric's at nine.

Campus is virtually deserted at this time of the morning during a school break so I have a long lonely freezing walk to the student health center. I dread going to the "lady doctor." It's no fun at all. But the reason I am going, to get on birth control, leads to a whole lot of fun.

Fun like last night. Damn! That man's tongue is heaven. Everything on his body is, really. He is so beautiful and there might be a worry for such an attractive man to be selfish in bed. I mean, I'm sure before he became a single father, he had women throwing themselves at him left and right. Well, actually, I've seen it happen more times than I can recall. He just doesn't have the time to be with all those women now. But he is not selfish. He practically begged me to let him go down on me. I don't even know why I made him ask me three times. Something came over me for sure and I did that extremely uncharacteristic strip tease for him. What can I say? He brings out the wanton hussy in me. But it is _oh so fun_!

The doctor appointment goes quickly since I booked the first one of the day. My arm hurts a little where I got the birth control shot but not too bad. I head to the store to pick up some condoms because I'm staying the night with Eric and I want to be prepared if he wants to have sex. I have to wait a week for my shot to start protecting me but I'm not sure if Eric will want to leave out the condoms then anyway. I hope he does because I like the spontaneity of condom free sex— even if I don't so much like the clean-up. I stash the condoms in my backpack that also has my clothes and toiletries and head down to the subway train that will take me to Eric's house.

As soon as he sees me he pulls me to his chest and hugs the life out of me. Well, that's what it feels like anyway, but I love to be in his strong arms so I don't mind the squeezing.

"Did ya miss me?" I tease but instead of replying playfully, he goes serious on me. Intense, is the word that this look brings to mind and it makes me want to grab his face and tell him how much I love him. It's getting harder and harder to keep that quiet and I wonder at what point it would be okay for me to tell him. If it's not soon, I may burst— or blurt it out at a less than opportune time.

"I missed you so very much, Sookie," he says with such a tender voice and with such soulful eyes that I feel my heart stutter and my stomach flip as I look up at him. My want to profess my love for him increases tenfold and I literally bite my tongue to keep from spilling my guts, or my heart as it were. Instead, I smile at him and reach up to cup his sweet face. I stand on my tiptoes to kiss his beautiful mouth and whisper that I missed him too.

We stand looking at each other in like a vacuum of time in which only he and I exist. And I stare into his eyes until I feel small hands grip my pant leg and look down to see his bright eyed little one looking up at me with an equally bright smile.

"Oh, Annika! I missed you too sweet girl!" I say, bending down to scoop her up. I pepper her chubby little cheeks with kisses because I know it makes her giggle and I swing her around until I notice Eric looking at me with a funny smile. I don't have much time to think about what it means because there is a knock at the door.

Right. Nine- fifteen, skank number one. That's how I feel even if it's not very nice. I'm trying to be open-minded, I am. Maybe these potential nannies will be alright. Maybe they won't want to throw themselves at Eric or throw him to the ground and jump on him like I did. Maybe they will be nice and caring and not have aspirations to end up in his bed.

As soon as the knock sounds, the change that comes over Eric is absolutely fascinating. His posture changes, his face changes, and the air that surrounds him becomes suddenly magnetized. That's the only way I can describe the absolutely powerful way in which he now commands the room. He becomes someone else entirely and it dawns on me that I am now witnessing Business Eric. He just got ten times more attractive and if he can utterly captivate me like this, I fear what will happen when he opens that door.

My fears, as it turns out, are completely justified by the small, stacked, sexy brunette that stands on the other side of the door. Eric stands with the door open and I can see Yvetta standing there in jeans tighter than bark on a tree and with a megawatt smile brighter than the sun. Any residual hope I have of an easy time interviewing these women, goes right out the window...which is, coincidentally, just where I want to throw her!

"Mr. Northman," she purrs in her thick accent, "So nice to meet you." She does that European kiss thing— both cheeks, and Eric dips his head down to her face because I guess he is also used to this. I'm trying not to freak out but this slutmuffin just put her lips on my man— twice!

Eric turns around as I walk up behind him and is momentarily startled at the anger I'm sure he can see on my face. His eyes widen briefly and then his face flushes. Out of embarrassment, or something else, I'm not sure.

"Yvetta," he says, as he puts his hand on my back and pulls me forward to stand next to him, "This is Sookie. She is helping me with interviews." Her name from his mouth...yuck. I don't want to hear that again. "And this," he says, running his hand over Annika's hair, "Is my daughter Annika."

Yvetta's smile, which had faltered when he put his hand on me, now brightens once more but she completely ignores me and reaches for Annika, who is in my arms.

She takes her –just snatches her right out of my arms and my stomach tightens with my effort to keep my mouth shut. I want to tell this baby snatcher that Annika is mine and that she can back the fuck off, but I say nothing.

To her credit, she is being very good with Annika, talking animatedly with her—in French. Smiling and pointing things out to her as she walks around the room. But she has not noticed, or she just doesn't care, that Annika is not entirely comfortable. Annika keeps looking to me and Eric as if to say _who is this woman and why is she holding me_?

Yvetta comes back over to Eric, who takes Annika from her, thankfully. She looks up at him and says in her fucking purr, "I can teach your baby French if you like." Yeah? And I can teach you some fucking manners.

Eric says something to her in French—he really wants me to kick his ass, doesn't he? He can just shut his stupid sexy French mouth. This will not earn him brownie points with me. I will not get turned on if the French he speaks is to converse with this hoebag.

Her eyes widen and she says something back to him in French, smiling and touching his arm and I think I must feel how a hitman feels right before he offs his target. Just this eerie sense of calm, like, yup, I'm about to end your life.

Eric sees me coming up to them and no doubt notices my state of mind. His face goes pink again and he quickly backs up from her touch. Honestly, I feel kind of bad for him. He's not really doing anything wrong and he keeps getting flustered by my reactions. But I still want to kill her.

"Shall we sit down and get started," he says, no doubt trying to keep the peace and keep me from breaking this bimbo's neck.

"Yes, let's sit over here," I say between clenched teeth, walking over to the dining table. We had discussed sitting in the living room but I want to put space between this woman and my man. A dining table will do nicely. I pull Eric so he sits with me on one side of the table, leaving Yvetta on the other side. He gives me a brief confused look but sits down anyway. Good boy, he values his life.

I jump in with the questions after she hands Eric her resume. Every time I look at her, she is looking at Eric. Annika is sitting on his lap, but it's not Annika she is looking at. She watches him and every time he even glances at her, she smiles brightly for him and makes some type of movement to draw his eyes to her chest or her hair. I mean, he's hot, I get that. His smile is panty melting but this is a fucking interview! Be a little more professional! Shit.

"So, Yvetta," I say, after we go over her education and experience, "What would you say is the most difficult part of taking care of a baby?"

"Difficult?" she says, as if I asked her if she juggles in the circus, "What could be difficult about taking care of such a beautiful little girl? Except maybe leaving her with her daddy and going home each night." The way she emphasizes the word daddy, has me clenching my jaw again. Yeah, you are not getting this job, hoe cake.

Eric makes a noise in his throat but I can't tell what it means. Surely he notices her excessive doe eyes and flirty movements.

"Yes, well, when she is sick, it is not so easy," he says and I want to throw my arms around him and kiss him.

"Where are you from?" she asks him, sitting suddenly straighter in her chair. Damn it! Now she will like him even more. It's the way he says 'easy' with the s sound, that gives him away if you are listening for it. And she is hanging on his every word so of course she notices.

"Sweden," he says, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. Knowing he will not want to answer any of her personal questions, I steer the conversation back to the topic we are all here for.

"So, Yvetta, Eric needs someone who is very flexible and can handle late hours. He sometimes works very late, how do you feel about that?"

"Oh, he can keep me here as late as he wants," she says suggestively, "I am _extremely_ flexible."

Oh my fucking god, I'm going to murder this bitch! Her words cause Eric to choke on the water he is drinking and she is pleased as punch by his reaction. I shoot him a glare and he gives me a brief apologetic look. This is not going well.

There are only a few more questions I have for Yvetta so I ask them and she answers while looking at Eric, of course. That is, until he gets up to make Annika a bottle. But her eyes follow him even then and when they fixate on his butt, my hands clench and I wish her neck was between them. Truthfully, her answers are not bad but she is way too flirty for me to be comfortable with her in his house all day. Of course I know it's not ultimately my decision but I hope Eric will take my opinion into account.

As soon as I usher her out of the house, I go to sit next to Eric on the couch where he is feeding Annika a bottle.

"What did you think?" I ask as I flop down next to them.

"She was nice," he says with a shrug.

"She was nice?" I say with a much more shrill voice than I mean to.

He looks over at me, visibly startled by my reaction. "She wasn't nice?" he says, shaking his head slowly.

"She was a whore!"

"Oh, come on," he says, "She was friendly."

"Friendly?_ Oh, Eric, I am extremely flexible!"_ I say, mimicking both what she said and the accent she said it with.

Eric's face turns red. "Ok, maybe that was a bit suggestive," he mumbles.

"A bit? Eric if you weren't holding Annika I think she would have pulled your chair out and straddled your lap!"

"You do?" he says, sounding much less disgusted than I think he should.

I stand up so fast that Annika flinches, which makes me instantly calm down. I sigh and sit back down. "Eric, she's out, okay? She wants to mount you, not take care of your baby," I say quietly.

"Okay," he says hesitantly, like he doesn't believe me.

"Do you like women throwing themselves at you?" I ask, because I am frankly a little annoyed by his attitude.

"Of course not! I just thought she was very friendly."

"Well, think harder, Eric. If you don't nip this stuff in the bud it just gets out of hand. You have to be aware of how you're coming across especially if someone likes you, so you don't lead anybody on."

Something comes over Eric. His face goes hard and dark, and he stands and hands me Annika.

"Can you take her?" he asks with a subdued voice. As soon as I do, he walks upstairs without another word.

What the hell? Why did he get so sullen all of a sudden? When Annika is done with her bottle, he still has not come down so we go looking for him.

The door to his room is closed so I knock.

"Yeah?" he says.

"Can we come in, Eric?"

"Yeah," he says again, sounding like he wishes he could just tell me to go away.

I walk in to find him sitting on the edge of his bed with his elbows on his knees and his head hanging down. He's upset.

"What's wrong, Eric?" I ask as I set Annika on the floor and sit next to him on the bed. I put my hand in the middle of his back and he stiffens and sits up straight, effectively ceasing our contact.

"Are you mad at me?" I ask. I don't know what I did but he's being really weird right now.

"You think it's my fault?" he says with so much anger in his voice that I am shocked. I don't even know what he's talking about.

"What's your fault? I'm not following you, Eric. Calm down."

"No! Don't tell me to fucking calm down! I didn't do a single thing to make her come after me like she does. Not a single thing! I should be able to be friendly to women without them thinking I want to fuck them!" His voice is rough and gritty with a desperate edge, though he is careful not to be loud.

Oh, the bitch he works with. Shit. That's not what I meant by what I said but I can see how he would take it like that.

"Eric, that's really not what I meant. Of course it's not your fault that she won't take your no seriously. That is totally and completely on her. It has nothing to do with anything you've ever done. I don't think it's your fault, honey. I'm sorry if it sounded like I did."

He looks at me for a long moment and then nods and picks up Annika who pulled herself up next to him as soon as he started speaking so angrily. He sits her on his lap and lowers his face to kiss her hair. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispers to her. I know he hates when he loses his temper even a little bit.

I walk around in front of him and reach slowly for him to see if he will let me touch him now. He doesn't resist so I put my hand on the back of his neck and lower my face to kiss his hair. He looks up at me smiling because I copied his actions so I take the opportunity to kiss his sweet mouth. Of course Annika wants some attention too so she squeals and kicks her feet, thus ending our moment. It's fine though, because the other nanny should be here any minute.

"Are you okay?" I ask Eric, "I'm really sorry." I stand up and offer him my hand to help him up.

"Yeah," he says sheepishly. "I should have stayed and talked instead of running upstairs. I'm trying Sookie, I hope you know that. I'm sorry."

"I do know," I say, "Don't feel bad." He looks like a child right now, all big eyes and open features, and for the four hundredth time I feel the urge to tell him how I feel about him, but I don't. Not yet.

He puts his arm around me and I melt briefly into his side. His arms always make me feel so good.

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ERIC

I feel better now that Sookie explained that she wasn't saying that Victoria Madden's advances are somehow my fault. I don't think I flirt at work but I can't help being friendly. If someone wants to take that wrong, that's not my fault.

Sookie and I walk side by side downstairs because the next nanny will be here soon. I hope this interview goes better than the last one. The last girl did not seem very in tune with my baby. She didn't seem to notice that Anni was scared when she grabbed her away from Sookie. Sookie didn't like it either, or her.

If looks could kill, Yvetta would have been dead three or four times over, though I don't think she did anything that bad. When Yvetta answered Sookie's question about what she finds difficult, I swear Sookie even growled at her and I had to cover my surprised noise by clearing my throat awkwardly. Sookie just seemed really mad at me and Yvetta for everything that happened. I was trying to be professional but I just kept messing up, based on Sookie's anger. I hate it when she's mad at me. It makes me feel like shit. But I really wasn't sure what to do because I didn't want to be rude. I have no control over other people's actions. Although I can't say I wasn't flattered by Sookie's jealousy.

The next nanny knocks on the door almost as soon as we make it downstairs and as I go to answer it, I decide that I will make sure I don't throw out mixed signals. I introduce myself and my daughter and then pull Sookie to my side by her hand.

"And this is my girlfriend, Sookie," I say, smiling at her. She looks briefly startled and then gives me one of the biggest smiles that has ever crossed her face. I think her cheeks are going cramp from it! My smile automatically gets bigger because of the sheer joy of hers.

She puts her arm around my waist and it's not until the nanny says, "Nice to meet you both," that I even remember she is there. I pull my eyes reluctantly from Sookie's face and shake the nanny's outstretched hand, which she then offers to Sookie. Hand shakes are better than cheek kisses— check.

So far, so good. I ask her into the living room, which is where we agreed to meet the candidates. I think Sookie just took Yvetta to the dining table because she was touching me too much. Some people just touch other people, though. And she touched my arm so I don't think it was as big of a deal as Sookie thinks. Anyway, I'm not about to make her more angry with me by letting this girl, Janna, touch me at all. Well, besides the handshake.

As Janna breezes past me into the living room, I get a small whiff of cigarette smoke. I know I specifically indicated I wanted non-smokers only on my client profile so unless she was just in a smoky cab, she is out right now as far as I'm concerned. Not that I have anything against smokers, I just don't want one watching my baby all day. She wouldn't be able to smoke around Annika, and that means she will either be wanting a cigarette all day or leaving the baby alone to have one. Not going to fucking happen.

But cigarettes appear to be the least of our worries, is what I realize as we begin to converse with Janna. She is, quite obviously, strung out and I am immediately on edge. Sookie seems to have noticed too and we share a look that says _no fucking way_! So now I have to get her out of my house as quickly as possible because the longer I look at her dilated pupils and strange hyper movements, the more I am reminded of my brother and that's not something I want to think about.

Sookie, who is always so in tune with how I'm feeling, seems to share my desire for Janna's expedient exit and she rushes through an abbreviated set of questions. Janna's answers are fine, and if she wasn't so apparently high, she might be a good nanny. But really, coming to an interview all coked out doesn't not a good impression make.

Finally we are done with her and after I walk her to the door, I turn to Sookie with a sigh.

"Two more left. How are we going to get through those? That was ridiculous! She was so high!"

Sookie laughs a little but then immediately sobers up because it's not actually that funny. "No kidding. A slut and a druggie. That's some great luck you got, Northman!"

"I got you didn't I?" I say smiling as I stalk towards her. "I'd say that I'm pretty damn lucky!"

Sookie looks at me and I am momentarily breathless at the intensity in her eyes. And she says I'm the intense one. But her look is simultaneously heated and... something else —tender? More than that but I don't have a chance to analyze it because the kiss that she plants on me is equally intense and it leaves me more than just breathless.

"Sookie, don't wake the beast if you don't want to get mauled," I say huskily.

"Is that what you call that thing?" she says, pushing her body against mine and her lips to my mouth.

She's about to get pushed against the wall if she's not careful. The only thing that stops me is that I glance at Annika who is walking along the couch and every so often laying her head down on it. She's tired and needs her nap.

"Annika," I whisper before Sookie can kiss me again.

She immediately backs up. "Oh! I'm so sorry," she says.

"It's totally fine, Sookie. More than fine. But she needs a nap," I say, gesturing to Annika, whose eyes are half closed where her head is resting on the couch.

"Let me put her down to sleep, Eric, I haven't had her in my arms enough today."

"No, it's your day off. Besides, I miss her. I missed bedtime yesterday."

"Ok," she says as she kisses me softly.

I go upstairs and change Annika and then sit down to rock her to sleep. "Sookie loves you, lucky girl," I murmur to her, feeling a little bit jealous. Do I want her to love me too? I think it would be okay if she did. But my racing heart betrays my desire and I realize that I do indeed want to be loved by Sookie. Babies are much easier to love though, and I know I'm not. Babies don't yell at you or run away like a child to avoid talking, babies don't freak out when tough emotions are involved—they don't have so many unloveable parts. No, babies are lovable. But still, maybe someday she will love me too. Maybe someday I'll deserve it.

I look down to see that Annika is asleep so I gently put her in her crib and go downstairs to Sookie to hopefully finish what we started.

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**As I said, there is much more of their day(and night) to come but I'm still working on it so I hope this is good for now and I hope to have something else out soon. Hopefully my husband will feel better soon because as much as I want to be, I am not as patient as Sookie! **

**Thank you for reading! A review would make my day!**


	22. Chapter 22

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ERIC

With every downward step I take on my way to Sookie, my heartbeat speeds up as I think about her body and lips against mine. Lust ignites me but that's not what drives me. Something else entirely is responsible for that. No, not something, everything. Everything about her pulls me towards her. Her bright smile, her bubbly laugh, her caring touches and sincere words. I love everything about her. I love..._her_.

I have just reached the bottom of the staircase as this realization dawns on me...dawns on me— more like crashes through me. I am frozen as I try to process what I just figured out. I love her. That explains the butterflies and the racing heart at only the thought of her. I love her! That's why I miss her so much when she's gone and why my chest aches at both her smile and her frown. I fucking love her!

"Eric." I hear Sookie's voice but it is far away. "Eric," she says again, closer.

Her hand on my arm, draws my gaze to hers and she becomes my whole world. Her hand is my anchor because I want to fall into her eyes. But then, like I'm moving out of a tunnel, the room comes back and I see her standing in front of me looking worried. She smiles when I do.

"Where did you go?" she says, slightly amused. "What happened?"

Yes, that's what I want to know. I don't know how to answer her so I don't, which she is not all that happy about. But what am I supposed to tell her? Hey Sookie, I know I'm a shit boyfriend, if I can even call myself that, and I will eventually fuck everything up between us but I love you, isn't that great? Or how about, I am scared out of my fucking mind to be in a relationship but hey, I love you, so doesn't that make everything okay? No, I can't tell her anything of the sort so I will tell her nothing. Knowing I love her will not make it any easier for her when I fuck up and hurt her somehow.

She's still looking at me but I have nothing to say. I'm not good at this, I don't know how to do this. So I do what I know I _am_ good at and lower my head to kiss her soundly. She responds the way I want her to and grabs my shirt to keep me at her lips.

I feel her hand on my pants, unzipping them, and then her fingers brush over my rapidly stiffening cock. She's eager. She's on her knees before I'm even all the way hard but her mouth on me takes care of that pretty quickly.

"Oh god!" It slips out of my mouth without my permission and she smiles and looks up at me.

"No, but I'm close," she says, copying my words from last night, and I smile at her because she's perfect.

When she puts her mouth on me again, it's with such fervor that my knees threaten to buckle and I reach back to grip the banister of my stairs.

"Are you okay?" she asks. Of course I'm okay! Why is she asking me? Fuck!

I think what I manage to say is a very weak and breathy, "Yes."

"C'mere," she says gently, taking my hand and leading me to the couch. She pushes me to sit and kneels between my legs. "You need to sit down, honey, before you fall," she says sweetly to me.

Did I seem that unstable? I guess there is no hiding how much she effects me.

She resumes her earlier actions and it feels unbelievably fucking good but for some reason, and believe me I wish I didn't, but for some reason I feel guilty. I just realized I love her and she's on her knees sucking my cock. I should be making her feel good instead.

"Sookie," I say and then she does something magical with her tongue and I moan and momentarily forget myself. "Holy shit," I breathe before starting again.

"You don't have to do this Sookie."

She looks up at me again and takes her mouth off of me, letting me go, and I want to whimper at the loss of contact. She furrows her brow. "It's not good?" she says.

"Oh my fucking god, no! It's fucking great!" I say with maybe a bit more enthusiasm than is cool.

She smiles at my overeager words. "So then why are you stopping me?"

She has a point. Why the fuck am I stopping her? I know there is a reason but as she pulls my cock up off my stomach and into her waiting mouth, I can't remember my own name let alone whatever I was thinking before.

I run my hands over her hair gently. Not forcing her head down just feeling her soft hair move through my fingers. She is so fucking beautiful and she's on her knees for me but I'm the one who should be worshipping her.

I reach down and pull her up and she releases my cock from her mouth with an audible pop because she was sucking so hard. My eyes roll back for a second but then I stand with her in my arms and turn around so she can sit instead of me. She looks at me, confused as I tuck my dick back inside my pants and kneel down in front of her.

"Sookie, I want to make you feel good," I say, unbuttoning her pants. She puts her hands over mine and sits up so I lean back to look at her face.

"Eric, I like to do that," she says as a blush creeps up her face. "You don't want me to?" She looks confused but I don't know how to explain it to her.

"It's not that I don't want you to–"

"Then what, Eric? You're acting kind of weird."

"I feel guilty!" I blurt out. Oh, I really didn't mean for her to know that.

"You feel guilty? Why would you feel guilty?"

"I don't know Sookie."

"You don't think you're worth my time? You don't think I like to make you feel good, too? Eric, relax, darlin'. Do you want to go upstairs?"

"Upstairs?" I repeat like an idiot.

"Yes. Where the bed is...," she says with twinkling eyes. She pushes me back and stands up. She starts walking up the stairs without even checking if I'm following. I stand fixed to the spot for a second but when she lifts her shirt over her head and throws it behind her followed quickly by her bra, I am drawn up the stairs after her like one of those cartoon guys floating after something good. She is my something good and I want to show her how much I love her even if I can't tell her.

When I get to my room, I find Sookie lying on her stomach in the middle of my bed completely naked. The growl that leaves my mouth is surprising even to me. I want to make love to her but I know we don't have the time now. Holy fuck is she hot!

I want to pounce on her like a jungle cat and just before I jump onto the bed, she squeals and rolls over but she isn't fast enough to evade me. I come down on top of her, trapping her beautiful naked body beneath mine. Yes!

"I've got you now! There is no escape!" I say, hovering over her. My knees are on either side of one of her thighs and my hands are pressing hers into the mattress. I like her underneath me.

"Let me go!" she says and I am just about to get off of her thinking that I must have scared her, when her face lights up and she giggles.

I narrow my eyes at her and bring both her hands above her head, holding them firmly with one of mine. "Oh no, Sookie," I say with as serious a voice as I can muster, "You've woken the beast."

She looks confused for half a second before she smiles at me. "Bring it on," she says, her eyes piercing mine.

So I do. She challenged me, I have to live up to that, right? I start by running my hand over every part of her that I can reach. Sometimes with light strokes that make her squirm and sometimes with firm caresses that make her moan. I still have both her hands trapped so she is helpless to resist me, though with the way her body is responding, I doubt there would be any resistance.

So far, I have not touched any intimate parts of her, a fact that seems to be infuriating her just a little bit. As I make another pass up her leg, stopping just millimeters shy of her wet center, she sighs forcefully and looks at me like she wants to hurt me. It just makes me smile. She is so adorable when she's frustrated.

"You said bring it on. Should I stop?" I know she doesn't want me to stop. She maybe wants to kill me, but she doesn't want me to stop.

"Stop teasing, Eric!" she pleads, "Touch me for real." She parts her legs and I can see how much she needs me to touch her. It makes me quietly groan. So. Wet.

I lower my head to suck a hardened nipple into my mouth as I find her clit and rub it slowly. Her hips rock against my hand and she moans. I love the feel of her in my mouth, any part of her. I lick and suck both nipples before moving my head up to kiss her lips. As soon as our lips touch, I slide two fingers into her wet heat and her mouth opens in a gasp. I take the opportunity to slide my tongue into her mouth to taste hers. I let her hands go and they immediately grasp the back of my neck and my shoulder to keep me at her mouth. Not like I want to go anywhere anyway.

I continue to kiss her as my fingers work in and out of her, making a slick sound because she is so fucking wet. Her grip on my neck gets almost painfully tight and her hips start moving faster so I know she's about to cum. I rub my thumb over her clit and that brings her right to the edge. My mouth on her nipple brings her over and she shudders and moans, digging her nails into my neck. I love to watch her fall apart under my hands or tongue. She is fucking beautiful. I kiss her lips lightly as she lies panting.

Annika cries right then so I remove my fingers, sucking them into my mouth on my way to the bathroom. I quickly wash my hands and as I pass Sookie on my way to get Anni, she is still lying there with her eyes closed, which makes me kind of want to pump my fist in the air because I still got it. But I don't because that's silly, although I do smile on my way out of the room.

"You have great timing, little one," I say as I pick up Annika. I change her and then head back to the bedroom to see if Sookie has recovered. Apparently she has because she's nowhere to be found so we head downstairs. I notice that her clothes are gone from the stairs so she must have gotten dressed already, which is mildly disappointing.

"Key!" says Annika as soon as we walk into the living room.

"Key?" I repeat. It sounds like a deliberate word but I can't think of what she's trying to say.

"Key!" she says again, this time pointing at Sookie.

"Sookie? Are you saying Sookie?" I ask her with a smile.

Sookie's face brightens and she comes over to kiss Annika. "You can say my name!" she says excitedly to her. They are both smiling so brightly and my chest feels like it's going to explode I am so happy. Sookie looks up at me with tears in her eyes and hugs the both of us tightly. God, I want her in my life forever. Nobody has ever made me so happy.

"Well, my girls," I say, kissing both of their foreheads, "Should we go to lunch?"

I take them to a little Italian restaurant down the hill with excellent food and a relaxed atmosphere. The owners know me and Annika and every time we go in, they whisk her away to the kitchen so all the staff gets a chance to hold her. She loves it and I don't mind because I've known the little Italian couple for years. I came here with Sophie a few times and even after, when I showed up alone with a tiny baby, they never asked what happened, or where her mother was. For that, I am grateful and so I frequent their restaurant and happily give them free reign with my precious girl.

"Eric!" the owner greets me by pulling me down to kiss both of my cheeks. "It's been too long! And look at this little principessa, she is so big!"

"How are you, Francesca? Isn't she big? She will be walking soon and she's talking a little," I say, beaming proudly.

"And who is this?" she says, looking at Sookie, who smiles at her.

"This is my girlfriend, Sookie," I say, still very much liking the sound of that.

Francesca pinches my cheek and says in a not so quiet whisper, "Ah, good for you. She is a beauty."

I know Sookie had to have heard that and a glance at her rosy cheeks confirms that fact.

"I know," I whisper back with a wink, just as loudly.

"Let me show you to your table," she says, leading us through the restaurant.

As soon as we are seated, she takes Annika from me and walks away speaking Italian to her. Sookie gives me an incredulous look because I just let this woman carry my baby away.

"They always do that with her. She gets a ton of attention here! You're surprised?"

"A little, but then again, both of you seem to make quite an impression wherever you go."

"Just Annika. Everybody loves her. Luckily she's nothing like me!" I say laughing.

"Just Annika? No way! You too, mister."

I'm sure she can see the doubt on my face because she continues with, "Eric, you turn heads wherever you go. You are tall and gorgeous but that's only on the outside. You're also sweet and thoughtful and just as beautiful on the inside."

I love you is on the tip of my tongue but instead I just smile as heat creeps up my neck. She is just flattering me. I hand her a menu to break the slight tension of the moment, and look down to see what I will order.

"It's true, Eric" she says softly to the top of my head because I don't look up.

We order our food and the owner brings Annika back when it's ready. They made her a little plate with pasta and some soft carrots to eat. I'm a lot better with her eating by herself now so I am only a little bit anxious.

"She's doing so well eating, isn't she?" Sookie asks.

"Yeah," I say, watching her.

"Still makes you nervous, huh?" she says, smiling at me.

"I little," I admit.

"That's just because you're a good dad."

"It's because I'm a basket-case," I laugh.

"Oh, Eric," she says, before she goes back to eating.

We eat quietly for a while until Sookie looks up suddenly with a big smile.

"So, I'm your girlfriend?" she says.

"Um, if you want to be?" Yeah, I guess we didn't really have that talk.

"I do want to be," she says with that same look on her face, the one that leaves me breathless.

We stare at each other in silence for a few seconds and the longer I look at her, the more I want to tell her I love her but we are interrupted by the waitress asking if everything is okay.

"So, the nannies," Sookie says, after the waitress leaves. "What are we going to do?" I like how she says we.

"Well, we can't hire those two from this morning. We still have the one coming Monday, right? And we can call Haley when we get home...what?" She's giving me a funny look, did I say something stupid?

"Nothing," she says, "Yeah, let's call Haley. Maybe she can come in the evening. Hopefully between her and Jessica, something will work out."

"Yeah, hopefully."

Sookie looks inexplicably uncomfortable for a second and I'm just about to ask her what's wrong, when she starts talking. "Eric, I overreacted about Yvetta and I want to apologize. I was angry and stupid but I don't want you to feel like you did anything wrong. You didn't. You were your usual polite self. I was acting like a jackass and I'm sorry. I wasn't mad at you and I hate that I made you feel like I was. She was a skank but you were a gentleman."

She whispers the word 'jackass' which makes me laugh and I smile at her because I appreciate her apology. I did think she was mad at me. "It's okay. You were jealous," I say with a smile in my voice.

"Maybe," she says, blushing pink.

"Maybe?" I tease.

"Okay, I was super jealous! But did you see her? She was gorgeous and French. I can't compete with that!"

I take her hand across the table and look into her eyes. "You don't have to compete with anyone, Sookie. You have me. I'm yours." Ok, well, I hadn't planned on saying anything that ridiculous but it's true...even if it is pretty sappy. I'm just going to resign myself to the fact that she has turned me into a giant puppy who will follow her anywhere, beg for her attention, and piss myself with excitement when she strokes me. Pathetic? Maybe. Worth it? Most definitely!

"Oh, Eric, I'm glad because I want you," she says and then her face goes red when she realizes that what she said could be taken sexually. She starts sputtering, "Oh! I mean, I'm glad you're mine, that makes me happy, not I want you like, um, well, I mean I do but that's not what I meant...oh hell."

I love when she does this so I just sit back and let her ramble while I chuckle at how cute she is. She puts her forehead down briefly on the table and my heart swells because I just think everything she does is adorable.

"I still like when you do that," I say laughing.

"Shut up," she says with a smile.

Annika is looking back and forth between us because we're acting like fools. We have all finished eating so I kiss her cheek as I wipe her hands. The waitress comes with the check and I pay even though Sookie says she can pay for herself.

"Da da!" Annika says, when I pick her up to leave. It still gets me every time she says it and I smile and kiss her again. She leans across me to Sookie with her arms outstretched and says, "Kie!"

I can tell it gets to Sookie just as much by the tears in her eyes. She takes her from me and hugs her tightly, whispering in her ear. I'm sure she's whispering I love you and my heart skips because I want her to whisper it to me too.

"You love her," I say and she looks up at me sharply.

"I do," she says with a nervous smile.

"Well, she's a lucky girl," I say, smiling as I put my arm around them. We walk out of the restaurant and once we're outside, Sookie kisses me – just a light kiss– but she lingers against my lips and it seems more significant than a peck on the lips would normally.

We drive back to the house and play with Annika until it's time for her nap. Once I put her down, I call Haley and she says she can come on Tuesday evening to meet us. She sounds really nice and it gives me hope that we will find someone who will take great care of Annika.

"Well?" Sookie says when I get off the phone.

"She said I sound hot and she wants to jump me," I say but I can't keep a straight face and end up laughing halfway through my sentence.

"Very funny, you big dummy!" she says, punching me lightly in the stomach.

"Hey! No, she said she could come Tuesday evening and that she hopes to end up in my bed." I manage to maintain my composure this time so it takes her a second to get what I'm saying. Once she does, she laughs and punches me again but I catch her hand before it connects with my stomach. I turn her swiftly so that her back is against my front, my arms around her middle, and lower my face to her neck.

"You're bad," she says.

"You have no idea," I say, kissing her neck. I walk us over to the couch as I continue to kiss her. I sit down with her on top of me and she turns around to straddle my lap. We kiss and fondle each other, well I fondle her breasts. They beg for my touch with their perky roundness and I can't keep my hands off of them. She grinds herself against me as we kiss and pretty soon I feel like I'm about to cum in my pants which would be kind of embarrassing.

"Sookie, you have to stop so I don't cum right here," I pant after pulling back from her.

"Oh, well we can't have that," she says and before I know it, she has slid off my lap and has my pants undone and my cock out. I am completely wound up at this point so almost as soon as I feel her mouth on me, I cum with a loud groan and she swallows. I still can't believe that she swallows; she is way too perfect. I mean, it doesn't matter all that much really but it is still kind of spectacular.

"Well, that was easy," she says, sitting up with a huge smile. Oh.

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SOOKIE

Aw, I think I hurt his feelings by insinuating that he came really quickly. He did, though, but he doesn't need to feel bad about it. He was obviously worked up from our make-out session. He's blushing pretty hard but I think ignoring his embarrassment is for the best.

"Hey, Eric," I say once he zips his pants, "What do you want to do for dinner?"

He smiles. "I'm going to cook for you," he says with a proud look on his face.

"Ooh! I can't wait!" I say smiling back. He is so sweet and I love this confident look. Too often he wears self-doubt so this is nice to see.

We spend the time we have alone while Annika sleeps just talking. I tell him about my childhood with Gran and Jason, including how out of place I always felt in my little town. He is an excellent listener even if he doesn't share very much.

Some day I will get him to open up to me, though I can understand his reluctance. He has had a tough life, way tougher than anyone deserves let alone someone as sweet and sensitive as him. I know he tried to harden himself at his father's cruel insistence but he wouldn't be so kind and thoughtful if he had managed to erase who he really is. And I know he sometimes messes up and overreacts with anger but he is immediately sorry so I know he is a good person. He's just fighting hard against everything he was taught as a child even if he doesn't yet recognize how all those lessons have effected him.

"What?" he says because I have stopped talking and am just looking at him.

"Tell me something about your childhood, Eric. Something happy," I ask. I know he has to have some happy memories he can share.

He thinks for a minute looking slightly uncomfortable but he tells me anyway. "Well, one of my favorite things growing up was to go lingon picking. My brother and I used to run through the forrest in late summer while my mother strolled behind us. We'd pick the little red berries and dare each other to eat one." He laughs at this and then continues. "They're really tart so you don't want to eat them plain. We'd race to see who could fill his basket the fastest and we'd come home sticky and exhausted and help Mamma pick through the berries. Then she would make jam and it made the whole house smell so good."

The look on his face as he is talking is just so beautiful and serene and I wish he could always be this happy. I wish all his childhood memories could bring him this much joy. He looks so peaceful right now and I want to hold him and stroke his cheek like a baby. But as he finishes his story, he gets a faraway look in his eyes and just sits there silently thinking. His smile slowly fades from his face and my heart aches at the forlorn look that replaces it. He sits, lost in his memories, for a good while until Annika wakes up. Whatever he is thinking is quickly forgotten and he is Dad again, no longer a sad little boy. He stands quickly and strides up the stairs to his baby.

When he comes down, he looks happy and it strikes me that underneath this beautiful packaging is a man hurting. I mean, I knew that. The things he has told me are not happy things but it hasn't struck me until just now, how good he is at hiding it. The anger is just pain, the sadness is pain, even sometimes the happiness is just masking the pain. And he has gotten good at stuffing it down so that it only effects him when emotions are running high. He doesn't live in it everyday or let it dictate his every move but still, in that small dark quiet place inside of him, he is hurting and the thought of that makes my heart and arms ache for him.

I walk up to him where he is putting Annika down to play in the living room, wrap my arms around him and hold him tight. After a second his arms come around me and we just stand hugging silently. His steady heartbeat under my ear is soothing to me but I want to be soothing to him and I don't know how. Would it make him happy if I told him that I love him? Because it's on the tip of my tongue but I just don't know.

"I love you," I say to his chest before I can stop myself. If I can make him feel even an inkling of happiness knowing he is loved, then I want to.

He pushes immediately back from my embrace and holds me at arm's length. The look on his face is something between disbelief, fear, and joy. And unfortunately, disbelief seems to have a stronghold right now.

"No," he says, and I look at him sharply. What?

I don't expect him to say it back but I thought he would be a little happy about it, so my expectations are dashed when he opens his mouth.

"No?"

"No. Why? No, you don't," he says, looking briefly tortured.

"I do. Why do you say I don't?" I did not expect this reaction even though I know he carries self-loathing like a family crest.

"Why would you?" he says as if he couldn't possibly be lovable.

"What do you mean why would I? Because I do! Because you're you and I love you! Because you're kind and gentle and thoughtful and good!"

"I'm not good! I'm not any of those things!" he says. He starts pacing back and forth across the living room which I know he does when he's upset, when his feet want to run but he knows he can't.

Annika crawls towards him and when he passes her by without acknowledging her, she sits and starts to cry. She is not a clingy baby and I know she is upset because she can sense his strong feelings. I also know that he is going to mentally berate himself for making her cry, for not keeping his cool in front of her.

"See," he sighs as he goes to pick her up and his voice sounds so defeated, like he wants to but he couldn't possibly believe any of those good things I said. He's breaking my heart, truly. My chest hurts looking at his woefully hopeless face.

This man is too beautiful to wear so much pain, too lovely to be so broken. How can I make him believe that I love him, that he is good and that he deserves it?

He is still pacing holding Annika who keeps trying to smile at his face. She knows he is upset and it makes me both smile and ache so see her try to soothe him with her smiles. She eventually catches his eye and he looks at her smiling face. Some of the anguish melts off his face as he kisses her. Her little hands grab his cheeks and she plants a big slobbery kiss on him. He stops pacing, brightens and laughs and that sound is so welcome right now. If Annika could ask for it, I'd give her whatever she wanted just for making him feel better.

He looks at me, still laughing but his smile fades the longer he looks at me. He puts Annika down and holds his hand out to me so I walk to him to put my hand in his.

"Say it again," he says, looking so vulnerable that I will give him whatever he asks for...if I knew what he wanted.

"What?"

"Tell me again," he says and now I understand.

"I love you," I say quietly to him, looking him directly in the eye.

"You love me," he says looking back at me, "I don't know why you do but I'm glad you do."

"Well, I guess that's good enough for now," I say smiling as I squeeze him.

"Sookie," he says and I look up at him, "I love you, too."

"You don't have to say that because I said it, Eric. It's okay if you don't–"

"I love you," he says in a firm voice, cutting me off.

"You love me," I say, sounding just as awed as he did when he said those same words to me. "We love each other!" I say with a huge smile plastered on my face. I am outrageously happy!

"Yes!" he says, coming closer to me, "Yes." And then his lips are on mine and his kiss is nothing like I've ever experienced. His kisses are always excellent, always special, but this kiss that he plants on me now is so heated, so full of unrestrained passion that my knees feel weak and I cling desperately to him to remain upright.

He pulls back from me and I stand like an idiot with my eyes closed, reliving his fiery kiss.

"To be continued," he whispers in my ear.

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**^^^ What he said.**

**Sorry guys, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hadn't planned for the I love yous to come out now but that's what they wanted so who am I to deny my muse. I wanted them to get through dinner also but that didn't happen. **

**I don't know when I'll have the next chapter out. We are all still down with the flu(now my kids are sick) but hopefully early next week.**

** Thanks for reading and reviewing! I love you guys. Each review brightens my day especially when everyone in my house is so miserable.**


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